NJ Transit makes major development in PTC project

New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) will begin Revenue Service Demonstration (RSD) of its Positive Train Control (PTC) system after receiving approval from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), bringing the agency one step closer to meeting the federally mandated deadline of PTC certification by Dec. 31, 2020. 

“Entering the RSD phase of PTC is a major milestone and a testament to the incredible work by our employees working around the clock with our contractors to ensure this important safety technology implementation remains on schedule,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett.  “Two years ago, we had just 10 months to take the project from only 12 percent to 100 percent complete toward the Dec. 31, 2018 federally mandated interim milestone for installation – we were successful.  With this announcement, and the continued support from the FRA, I’m confident we will meet the Dec. 31, 2020 federal deadline for full implementation of PTC.” 

The FRA’s approval allows NJ Transit to initiate RSD on the Morristown Line between Summit and Denville.  Previously, field testing has been conducted on test trains that did not carry customers.  During RSD, NJ Transit’s current safety technology, Automatic Train Control (ATC), will remain active and will not be affected by the testing. 

NJ Transit says it continues to conduct and expand its non-revenue testing on its other rail lines and is working collaboratively with Amtrak and freight operators to ensure interoperability of all PTC systems. 

In December 2018, NJ Transit marked 100 percent completion of the FRA’s 2018 year-end milestone for PTC that included installation on 282 locomotives and cab cars, 326 miles of wayside infrastructure such as poles and antennas and trained 1,745 employees.