WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced today the second of three positive train control (PTC) symposiums for the 41 railroads congressionally mandated to implement PTC systems. 

The day-long symposium, to be held on Monday, July 16, 2018, at USDOT headquarters in Washington, DC, is intended to bring together railroad safety officials and FRA’s PTC experts.  They will discuss best practices for PTC system field and interoperability testing. 

“Interoperability is an important milestone for all railroads working to complete PTC implementation,” said FRA Administrator Ronald L. Batory.  “This symposium is to institute clarity on any and all questions associated with implementing PTC interoperability as set forth in the governing regulations.”

The statutory mandate and FRA’s implementing regulations require a PTC system to be interoperable.  This means that the locomotives of any host railroad and tenant railroad operating on the same main line will communicate with and respond to the PTC system, including uninterrupted movements over property boundaries.

In June, FRA held the first ever PTC symposium, addressing industry questions and focusing on the requirements for the December 31, 2018 statutory deadline.  The final symposium, scheduled for August 20, 2018, will cover lessons learned and best practices for PTC Safety Plans.  Safety plans are necessary for host railroads to obtain PTC System Certification from FRA and to achieve full PTC system implementation under the statutory mandate.  

To view the public version of each railroad’s Quarterly PTC Progress Report (Form FRA F 6180.165, OMB Control No. 2130-0553) for Quarter 1 of 2018, please visit each railroad’s PTC docket on https://www.regulations.gov/. Railroads’ PTC docket numbers are available here.