NJ Transit progresses in Positive Train Control project

NEWARK, NJ — The Federal Railroad Administration has given NJ Transit approval to begin Revenue Service Demonstration of its Positive Train Control system, moving NJ Transit 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,” NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett said in a Feb. 18 press release. “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 called Automatic Train Control will remain active and will not be affected by the testing.