FRA reports that passenger railroads increased their percentage to 23% this quarter compared to 22% last quarter. The measurable progress made by passenger railroads has been predominately on the west coast.
The Federal Railroad Administration released third quarter 2016 data submitted by railroads on their progress in implementing Positive Train Control (PTC), which showed uneven progress across the country and across railroads toward activating the life-saving technology.
Freight railroads now have PTC active on 12% of their tracks, up from 9% last quarter. Passenger railroads increased their percentage to 23% this quarter compared to 22% last quarter. The measurable progress made by passenger railroads has been predominately on the west coast, while east coast railroads, other than Philadelphia’s SEPTA and Amtrak, have remained relatively stagnant.
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“Passenger and freight railroads must continue their progress implementing Positive Train Control and work to beat the deadlines Congress set — because PTC saves lives,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
The Q3 2016 status update includes railroad-by-railroad quarterly data as of Sept. 30, 2016, and includes data such as track segments completed, locomotives equipped, employees trained, radio towers installed, route miles in PTC operation, and other key implementation data.
“In order to achieve full PTC implementation, everyone has to do their part — railroads must make implementation a priority, and Congress must make funding for commuter railroads a priority,” said FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
