Positive Train Control (PTC) Amtrak s Northeast Corridor

Transcription

1 Positive Train Control (PTC) on Amtrak s Northeast Corridor 12 July 2012, Session: Infrastructure 3 - Power Supply & Signaling

2 Requirement for PTC The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 requires that most railroads implement Positive Train Control (PTC) to: Prevent train to train collisions Prevent over-speed derailments Prevent incursions into established work zones Prevent the movement of a train through a main line switch in the improper position Be interoperable with other carriers These requirements apply to all Class I freight railroads and all passenger railroads Amtrak s ACSES system was the first PTC system to be certified 2

3 PTC on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) Amtrak began installation of PTC on the NEC in the late 1990 s Amtrak s Automatic Train Control (ATC) System (Cab signals with speed control) fulfilled most of the PTC requirements except that: It did not enforce civil speed restrictions It did not enforce maximum authorized speed (MAS) in all cases It did not enforce temporary speed restrictions It did not enforce a positive stop at interlocking home signals In 1999 an Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES) was introduced to provide the enforcements that the ATC system could not provide

4 ACSES is an overlay to the ATC system The ACSES System It uses passive balises or transponders to provide information about upcoming civil speed restrictions, signals where a stop may be required, etc. Train location is determined by the information received from each balise set 4

5 ACSES enforces the following: The ACSES System Maximum Authorized Speed (MAS) Civil speed restrictions (curves, bridges, etc.) Temporary speed restrictions (slow orders) A positive stop at an interlocking home signal only when the cab signal system enforces restricted speed approaching the signal

6 ACSES Radio Communication Element ACSES uses a data radio system to: Obtain interlocking status as the train approaches each interlocking - Facing point switch positions - Status of the home signal for the track governing the train movement Obtain temporary speed restriction information from the train control center via a vital temporary speed restriction server The original installation used a 900 MHz data radio system The system is currently being upgraded to a 220 MHz system for better coverage and reliability

7 ACSES Overview Dispatch Center w/tsr Server IP Network connection Temporary Speed Restrictions 220 MHz data radio link (Interlocking status and temporary speed restriction messages to train) PDS Transponder set DS Transponder Set

8 ACSES Implementation Approximately 400 track miles (640 track km) of ACSES was installed prior to the PTC regulations Approximately 1200 track miles (1900 track km) are under construction The ACSES system allows train operations on the NEC at speeds up to 150 mph (240 km per hr.) soon to be 160 mph (260 km per hr.) With both ACSES and ATC the lineside signals can be removed except at interlockings All information is displayed inside the cab

9 Northeast Corridor including Commuter Railroads

10 Interoperability with Freight Carriers Operating on the NEC By order of the Federal Railroad Administration all carriers operating on the NEC must have an operating cab signal system The trains equipped with the Class I specified PTC system will require the same information from the Wayside Interface Unit (WIU) at each interlocking that ACSES trains require Since the freight trains will be equipped with cab signals, a WIU will not be required where lineside signals would have been installed The freight train will receive messages from the WIU over a different radio network A back-office server will be installed to provide database information and movement authority to the freight trains

11 ACSES I-ETMS Interoperability

12 ...Thank you for your kind attention Please visit us at the Amtrak booth in the Exhibit Hall or go to 8thWorldCongress.amtrak.com for more information