Boston’s MBTA announced the successful on-schedule completion of Automatic Train Control (ATC) implementation as part of Positive Train Control (PTC) on all northside Commuter Rail lines. 

With this phase of the program now complete, PTC/ATC is now successfully active across all of the MBTA’s Commuter Rail lines. 

PTC Key to MBTA Safety

PTC automatically controls train speeds when needed, reducing the risk of train collisions, and preventing human error. 

ATC is an upgrade to the existing signal system and is federally required as part of PTC.

“The successful completion of our PTC / ATC safety system is a major accomplishment and required a nonstop commitment toward safety and driving the project to successful completion — I extend my congratulations and thanks to the entire MBTA team for delivering this system,” said MBTA GM/CEO Phillip Eng. “This is the kind of behind-the-scenes project that riders may not physically see but required a monumental effort and results in the safest service possible for both our riders and employees.”

As a federally mandated safety control system, the MBTA’s $900 million Commuter Rail Safety and Resiliency Program to install PTC and ATC was the authority’s highest-priority capital program. 

With PTC/ATC now fully implemented and active along nearly 400 miles of all 12 Commuter Rail lines, the MBTA’s rail network is more resilient, more modern, more reliable, and safer for both passengers and employees, according to the authority.

Following Federal Mandate

The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 required every railroad across the country to implement PTC. 

The MBTA completed Phase I of its PTC installation program in August 2020 with the PTC system active on all Commuter Rail lines. 

Phase II included the implementation of ATC on all lines with successful completion on the South Side in 2020. Implementation on the North Side as part of Phase II took place afterward. 

Completion of the northside ATC project was a herculean, five-and-a-half-year effort to design, install, and commission ATC and modify the PTC system on all 170 miles of the MBTA’s northside Commuter Rail lines that operate out of North Station. 

The work involved 400 design packages, construction work at 300 signal locations, and the operation of 500 test trains, resulting in a fully compliant safety signal system on these lines. 

The work also modernized the MBTA’s rail infrastructure with microprocessor interlocking track areas, the removal of intermediate signals, upgrading signal lights with LED color light signals, and the implementation of bi-directional signals on the Rockport Line and the inner portion of the Haverhill Line.