Metro-North Railroad lands grant to set up PTC test lab

MTA Metro-North Railroad was awarded a grant of up to $2.3 million dollars from the Federal Railroad Administration to support positive train control (PTC) communications testing. The grant, which is part of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program, will help Metro-North improve the performance of PTC radio spectrum utilization required to make PTC operational on the Northeast Corridor.

Metro-North was awarded the grant for its proposal to establish a test lab to help the railroad efficiently investigate radio spectrum issues and better meet the challenges of making PTC operationally reliable along the Northeast corridor.

The test lab, comprised of a series of networked computer stations, will simulate how radio communications will operate and mitigate potential problems. Radio spectrum is used by all passenger railroads that operate in the Northeast corridor, and so it’s essential to learn how all railroads can most effectively communicate with one another and avoid interference.

“Safety is a core value of Metro-North, and this test lab will allow us to move ahead with full PTC implementation and ensure on-going service reliability,” said Catherine Rinaldi, Metro-North Railroad president. “I congratulate our PTC team at Metro-North on this achievement, and we’ll continue to aggressively look for new and better ways to improve safety throughout the railroad.”