MATC Fall 2012 Lecture Series

1. Association 1 American Railroads
of 12/5/2012

3. ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS
AND
POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL

4. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A
RAILROAD, APTA, FRA, NTSB AREMA and the AAR?
There are several different, yet interrelated organizations which
provide a myriad of different “services” to the railroad industry.
• Standards, specifications and recommended practices
• Established and enforces regulations regarding train
speeds, track, signals, grade crossings, inspection
• Provides fines for non-compliance
• Maintains interchange data for all railroads, notifies railroads about
non-compliant cars
• Investigates accidents, makes safety recommendations
• Technical recommendations and standard plans for railroads
• Serves as the advocacy organization for the freight rail industry
• Talent base is comprised of active railroad managers

5. A RAILROAD
Mission
• Provide safe and efficient transportation at a reasonable cost
• Develop customers
• Service on-line industry
• Interchange with other railroads
• Works with stakeholders to develop economic growth
• Develops their own standards and recommended practices or
uses the industry recommended practices
• Volunteer to serve on AAR and AREMA Committees
• Make money

6. AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ADMINISTRATION
Vision Statement
APTA is the leading force in advancing public transportation.
Mission Statement
To strengthen and improve public transportation, APTA serves and
leads its diverse membership through advocacy, innovation and
information sharing. APTA and its members and staff work to ensure
that public transportation is available and accessible for all Americans
in communities across the country.

7. FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION
The purpose of FRA is to:
• promulgate and enforce rail safety regulations;
• administer railroad assistance programs;
• conduct research and development in support of improved railroad
safety and national rail transportation policy;
• provide for the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger
service; and
• consolidate government support of rail transportation activities.
Headquarters in Washington, DC with offices throughout the US
Part of the US Department of Transportation

8. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD
Charged with:
• investigating every civil aviation accident the United States and significant
accidents in other modes of transportation
– Railroad
– Highway
– Marine
– Pipeline
The NTSB determines the probable cause of the accidents and issues safety
recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents.
Headquartered in Washington, DC with offices throughout the US
Independent Federal Agency

9. AMERICAN RAILWAY ENGINEERING AND
MAINTENANCE-OF-WAY ASSOCIATION
AREMA Mission
• The development and advancement of both technical and
practical knowledge and recommended practices pertaining
to the design, construction and maintenance of railway
infrastructure.
• Volumes of Recommended Practices
• Portfolio of Standard Plans
Technical committees comprised of the entire railroad industry –
railroad managers, suppliers, consultants.

10. ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS
Independent Trade Association – Not Associated with the
Government
Our customers are the seven Class 1 railroads, Amtrak, and over
200 smaller freight railroads and commuter railroads
• Work with elected officials and leaders in Washington, D.C. on
critical transportation and related issues
• Ensures that the freight rail industry will continue to meet
America’s transportation needs today and tomorrow.
• The standard setting organization for North America's
railroads for rolling stock (freight cars and
locomotives), technology and network operations
• Focused on improving the safety and productivity of rail
transportation through our own initiatives in cooperation with
the FRA and other associations.

11. ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS
• Advance these goals through its two subsidiaries, the
Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI) and the Railinc
Corp. TTCI is the world's leading research, development and
testing facility, and develops next-generation advancements in
safety and operation efficiency. Railinc serves as the rail
industry’s leading resource for rail data, information
technology and information services, and uses one of the
world's largest data networks to track customer shipments.
• AAR also supports the Railroad Research Foundation (RRF), a
world-class policy research organization dedicated to
sustaining a safe, secure and technologically advanced rail
network.

14. WHAT IS POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL (PTC)?
It is an automated, highly complex system which provides the following
features:
A communication-based system of functional requirements for monitoring
and controlling train movements to provide increased safety.
– Prevent train-to-train collisions
• Overtake, Head-on, Converging
– Prevents trains exceeding speed limits
• Permanent speed limits
– Train type, track geometry (curve, turnout)
• Temporary speed limit
– Maintenance of Way slow order restriction or stop board
– Prevents incursions into a maintenance work zone
– Grade crossing pre-start and health monitoring ***

15. PTC SYSTEM OVERVIEW

16. INTEROPERABLE – ELECTRONIC TRAIN
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (I-ETMS)
• Overlay train control system to the freight railroad’s existing
signal systems
• Designed to:
• Prevent train-to-train collisions
• Over-speed protection
• Civil speed enforcement
• Roadway Worker Protection with Temporary Speed Restrictions
applied at the Work Zone
• Unique braking algorithms for freight and passenger with
appropriate safety factors based on the worst-case braking
scenarios
• GPS based signal system. I-ETMS does not use
transponders

17. OFFICE SYSTEMS
• Back office server – train dispatch centers
• Authentication systems must verify users
• Interface and numerous enhancements to the train
dispatching system
• Security application for message integrity
• Interoperable train control messaging system
• 220 MHz data radio for base station communication
• Communication switching network for interoperable back
office communications

18. WAYSIDE SYSTEMS
• Switch position monitors (Turnouts)
• Integrated and stand-alone Wayside Interface Units
(WIU)
• Wayside database contains over 200 characteristics
of track and trackside assets
• 220 MHz data radio for switch and signal
communication

19. LOCOMOTIVE SYSTEMS
• Train Management Computer, interactive display
• Interoperable electronic train management
system software
• 220 MHz data radio for locomotive PTC
communication
• Onboard Systems:
• Computer Display Units (CDU)
• GPS sensors
• Crash hardened memory module
• Antenna array for all PTC data transmissions

20. LOCOMOTIVE EQUIPMENT

21. TRAIN MANAGEMENT COMPUTER

22. IN CAB ELECTRONICS ARRAY

23. THE LOCOMOTIVE
• FRA – “All members of the crew have an
unobstructed view of the screen”
• Locomotive Interface Gateway (LIG) provides
integration of PTC functionally into over 30
different existing locomotive configurations –
developed through RRF
• 18,000 locomotive to be removed from service
and shopped installation – at least twice
• 4,000 installations have been started (22%)
• 1,700 miles of wires and cables

24. LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER’S CONSOLE

25. CAB DISPLAY UNIT

26. PTC LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER’S DISPLAY

27. RADIO SPECTRUM ANALYSIS

28. HOW COMPLEX IS PTC?
• It is the most expensive and technically complex initiative in
railroad history.
• 75% of all locomotives will be equipped – 12,700 locomotives
• 1,700 miles of new locomotive wiring to be installed
• 96,000 miles of railroad tracks must be equipped with PTC
and have GPS mapping of 500,000 wayside elements
• 50,000 wayside units will be installed
• 150,000 - 75% of all railroad employees must receive training
• $8 Billion initiative – internally funded by each of the freight
railroads (commuter railroads are receiving government
funding)

29. NOW THE HARD PART
• PTC is a “new” technology
• New nationwide standards are being developed
• The freight application is well underway
• Locomotives are having equipment installed
• Thousands of wayside signal system appliances have been installed
• Train dispatching computer systems are being modified
• Normally, each railroad can “do their own thing”
• Locomotives must be fully capable of operating on their own
railroad and on everyone else’s railroad – “Interoperability”
• Commuter railroads operate over freight railroad tracks
• Configuration management of software and hardware will be a
monumental task.

30. THE SCHEDULE
• Each railroad is working diligently to install their own PTC systems
• Railroads have had to retain specialized employees and have hired
thousands of new employees and contractors to assist
• Manufacturing of wayside, locomotive and back office equipment
is proceeding to support installation
• Each locomotive, wayside installation and back office needs to have
a completely new communications system and supporting
infrastructure – developed from scratch
This must be completed, by law, by December 31, 2015.
This is an unfunded mandate – find your own money and get it done.

31. SUMMARY - TECHNICAL
• The best and the brightest
• Thousands of employees and support from
manufacturers and consultants
• Extremely complex initiative
• Simultaneous undertaking by the entire railroad industry
• Involvement of all major railroads, commuter rail
authorities and some smaller railroads
• $ Billions of railroad funded investment

32. SUMMARY - TALENT
• The railroads need talented people.
– Class 1 freight railroads
– Regional railroads
– Short line and terminal companies
– Commuter rail agencies
– Amtrak
• Encourage undergrads and graduate students to explore a
myriad of technically and financially challenging opportunities
in the railroad industry.
• These are good jobs. They pay well – have great benefits –
and you will be exposed to, and experience, more things in
many diverse areas then you ever thought possible.

33. Contact Information
R. A. Kollmar
Executive Director –
Engineering, Communications and
Train Control
425 Third Street
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20024
(202) 639-2142
rkollmar@aar.org !!! (the best way)
Association of American Railroads 33
12/5/2012