U.S. railroads have waited a couple of months for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to issue a final implementation rule on positive train control (PTC). The wait is over. Yesterday, the FRA released the rule, which governs PTC implementation on the nation’s major freight-rail lines, as well as commuter and intercity passenger-rail routes.

PTC systems, which feature digital radio links, global positioning systems and wayside computer control systems, are designed to help dispatchers and train crews safely manage train movements. The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 mandates that interoperable PTC systems be installed on most passenger-rail routes and lines used to move certain hazardous materials by 2015’s end. Closed passenger-rail systems, such as light-rail, rapid transit and subway systems, will not be required to adopt PTC.

The final rule builds on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that the FRA issued in July 2009. The rule specifies PTC systems’ required functionalities, the means by which the systems will be certified, the contents of implementation plans required by the statute, and the process for submitting implementation plans to the FRA for review and approval.

The final rule serves as the “end of the beginning of the process,” according to FRA officials, who held a media teleconference yesterday to discuss PTC’s history and the rule’s contents. A result of more than a decade of work by FRA and various stakeholders, in partnership with the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee, the final rule will enable railroads to begin finalizing their PTC implementation plans, the officials said. Thirty U.S. railroads, including the Class Is, Amtrak and 22 commuter railroads, must submit those plans to the FRA by April 16.

The FRA estimates it will cost the railroads a total of about $5.5 billion to install PTC on 69,000 miles of track, including components placed onboard 30,000 rail vehicles. In addition, railroads will spend about $820 million annually to maintain and refurbish the systems.
 
For the next 60 days, the FRA will accept additional comments on a few specific provisions of the final rule. The agency will determine “whether clarity can be improved, and whether further opportunities for cost savings, consistent with safety, are available,” FRA officials said.
 
To download a pdf file of the final rule, follow this link. For more information on the PTC mandate and how it’s impacting railroads, follow this link to read an article (“On the PTC clock”) that was published in Progressive Railroading’s December issue.