At the opening of the 53rd Annual RSSI Communications and Signaling Exhibition, Lilee Systems and Alstom announced that their new, jointly developed communications management technology will become the backbone of Alstom's positive train control (PTC) system.

Once in place, the CMU-2000 family of communications manager units (CMUs) will enhance the safety and performance of passenger rail service by enabling fast, reliable transmission of PTC data signals and commands.

The CMUs consist of a mobile communications manager installed onboard locomotives; base radio communications manager and base communications manager equipment located along the wayside; and an office communications manager at network control centers or remote offices.

Together, these units relay information from PTC-equipped trains back to central operations centers and allow system operators to enforce speed limits and signals across the rail network in the northeastern U.S. The CMU-2000 family is fully compliant with Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES) communications protocols, including ATCS specifications 200 and 250.

"These new communication manager units were specifically designed to operate seamlessly with Alstom's ACSES PTC system, which is currently operating along the Northeast Corridor," according to Steve Zwart, director of Alstom's PTC operations. "Their underlying technology is based on more than a decade of successful PTC implementation and can meet the needs of any operator."

The partnership between Alstom and Lilee Systems, first announced in April of 2013, was initially formed to address the need for interoperable train control system management among end users of vital wayside products. With the addition of the first fully interoperable family of ACSES communications management products, Alstom and Lilee Systems are pioneering the next generation of passenger rail communications and control technology.