Railroad communications and train control : report to Congress

61307841PDFTech ReportCommunication systemsAutomatic train controlUnited States. Federal Railroad AdministrationJohn A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)NTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-SAFETY AND SECURITYNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Human FactorsVolpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference CenterRecent tragedies in the railroad industry have again focused attention on the prospects forimproving railroad safety through enhanced radio communication and implementation ofadvanced train control systems (ATCS). ATCS has the potential to prevent future accidentssuch as the collision between multiple-unit commuter trains at Gary, Indiana, on January 18,1993, in which seven passengers died, and the collision between trains of the Union Pacificand Burlington Northern railroads at Longview (Kelso), Washington, on November 11,1993, in which five employees lost their lives.The Clinton Administration is strongly committed to improving safety on all modes oftransportation, and this objective is one of the seven core goals of the Department ofTransportation's Strategic Plan announced by Secretary Federico Peiia in January 1994. Inthis report, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) expands on a Congressional mandateto evaluate ATCS and enhanced radio communications and finds that positive train control(PTC)--which, as a component of ATCS, can enforce speed and movement restrictions-isnearing a point at which it can begin to be used on railroads to eliminate injuries and deathscaused by train-to-train collisions. FRA recommends a series of steps to encourage theimplementation of PTC systems on high-risk rail corridors by the year 2000.Both through the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and through individualcompanies' efforts, the railroad industry has made great strides towards the development ofATCS over the last twelve years. The AAR has developed technological standards to ensurethat equipment from different suppliers will be compatible, and certain railroads haveimplemented basic ATCS technologies for purposes such as replacement of landlinecommunications. However, ATCS systems are not yet available in off-the-shelf form, nor ismuch of the research and development necessary to full implementation completed