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Commuter Rail Continues to Make PTC Progress
Commuter rail agencies continue to make significant progress on implementing PTC and are on schedule to meet the congressional deadline of December 2018, according to APTA’s recent updated analysis based on information available as of Dec. 31, 2016.
Some results from APTA’s analyses follow:
* 23 percent of the 3,150 route miles are either in service or in full PTC demonstration mode while awaiting FRA approvals;
* 30 percent of 3,400 locomotives and cab cars have been installed with PTC hardware;
* 40 percent of the 35 back office control systems are ready for operation;
* 70 percent of spectrum has been acquired and 50 percent of 1,000 radio towers have been erected;
* 24 percent of 13,000 employees have been trained in PTC; and
* 19 percent of commuter rail agencies were 100 percent PTC equipped by the end of 2016.
“The progress on this complex safety technology demonstrates the industry’s relentless focus on safety,” said Acting President & CEO Richard A. White.
“The installation of PTC is challenging for a number of reasons, including from a technical perspective. PTC was not a mature technology when Congress mandated it in the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008. Beyond the technological challenges that have to be addressed, there are significant issues in regard to the costs, scarce qualified resources and adequate access to track and locomotives for installation and testing,” White added.
APTA’s analyses were based on surveying its members and assessing the quarterly reports submitted to FRA for the last quarter of 2016. APTA’s report also showed that given the priority of PTC, significant investment backlogs for state of good repair (SOGR) and expansion projects remain. Since APTA’s previous quarterly report, FTA announced that the industry’s SOGR investment needs had increased to $90 billion.
PTC implementation is expected to cost the commuter rail industry more than $3.5 billion in capital expenditures, which includes more than $16 million in spectrum acquisition, and $100 million in annual maintenance costs.
Funding remains a critical concern. Currently, commuter rail agencies have been awarded $75 million in federal grants designated for PTC implementation. Additionally, $199 million were authorized by Congress but have yet to be appropriated. And DOT provided a $967 million loan to one commuter rail agency for PTC implementation.
“On behalf of the commuter rail industry, I urge Congress to quickly make available the $199 million authorized by the FAST Act for FY 2017 and consider providing additional resources to support industry efforts to meet the congressional deadline,” White said.
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