The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the US has secured $382m in federal loans to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) technology on passenger railroads.
The loan was secured through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) programmes, which support infrastructure projects of national significance and railroad development respectively.
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MBTA acting CFO and treasurer Paul Brandley said: “Securing long-term funding for the PTC project at a low interest rate puts us one step closer to our goal of achieving fiscal sustainability.”
US Congress originally approved the installation of PTC technology along all passenger railroads under the Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA) of 2008.
PTC systems are designed to ensure the safety of rail operations and prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments and incursions into established work zone limits.
Additionally, they are also effective in managing train movement via track switches, even when they have been left in the incorrect position.
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By GlobalDataThe PTC systems comprise an on-board device on the respective locomotive, wayside devices, a centralised dispatch system in a back office and a communication system that connects all its components.
The MBTA Commuter Rail system is one of the busiest commuter rail systems in the country, averaging 124,000 weekday passenger trips.
