NCTD to begin PTC revenue testing

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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NCTD

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has authorized the North County Transit District (NCTD) to begin Positive Train Control (PTC) Revenue Service Demonstration (RSD) operations on Coaster trains.

NCTD notes the start of RSD an important step in the implementation of PTC as it allows NCTD to collect and validate data on the performance of the PTC system. The testing supports the PTC Safety Plan that NCTD anticipates submitting to the FRA in September 2017.

“Safety is NCTD’s top priority. Implementing a system as complex as this does not happen overnight. But with that complexity comes a great leap forward in greater rail safety,” said Deputy Chief Operations Officer of Rail Systems Eric Roe.

NCTD has been performing non-revenue testing of the PTC system in the Stuart Mesa Rail facility and along the coastal corridor. The agency says the non-revenue testing was aimed at developing and enhancing the PTC infrastructure while troubleshooting any potential challenges prior to moving to RSD.

“While there are challenges to implementing any new technology, the long-term benefits of having PTC is increased safety on the rail. NCTD, its rail partners and its contractors will continue to work diligently to minimize the impacts of PTC implementation on customers,” the agency said in a press release.

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