NMRX enhances safety with new signaling system
Written by jrood
Various construction crews are working on the last 13 miles of railroad track in the New Mexico Rail Runner Express corridor replacing the train's current system of signals with a new Centralized Traffic Control System. The CTC will assist train dispatchers in moving trains more efficiently, thus enhancing the safety of the corridor while also improving on-time performance for the New Mexico Rail Runner Express.
"This CTC system addresses on-time performance, but even more
so – it’s about safety", says Lawrence Rael, executive director for the
Mid-Region Council of Governments. "Much like traffic signals in a roadway
system that keep traffic flowing smoothly, the synchronized signals in this new
system are designed to create greater safety in the corridor."
This last stretch of track
between Griegos Road in Albuquerque’s north valley and the Town of Bernalillo
has been operating using a signal system that is based on old technology that
consists of many relays, miles of pole line and other equipment that is being
replaced with the next generation of safety-enhanced equipment.
While the existing
signaling system provided safety in the corridor, the new CTC equipment
provides a modernized signaling update. The CTC allows train dispatch to know
exactly where all trains in the corridor, which is a vast improvement over the
old system from a safety and train control perspective. It also provides an improved
information environment for train dispatch, operators and maintenance crews in
the event an issue is identified because problems can be diagnosed, located and
addressed more quickly
The CTC signaling project
is scheduled for completion by the end of October.
