About PTC

Enabling Efficient Rail Operations with Positive Train Control

Positive Train Control (PTC) is a set of technologies to help stop trains before accidents occur. Mandated by the Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA) of 2008 to prevent unnecessary injury, PTC is the most complex technological initiative the rail industry has ever undertaken at an unprecedented scale.

It’s also an unparalleled challenge we have contributed to solve. 

Positive Train Control

PTC helps prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into established work zone limits, and the movement of a train through a main-line switch in the wrong position. The legislation requires PTC to be deployed by all freight and commuter railroads that travel on main lines used to transport passengers or toxic-by-inhalation materials.

 When fully implemented, PTC will include over 60,000 devices that are installed on nearly 70,000 miles of track and 25,000 locomotives.

Products Engineered to Enable Positive Train Control:

A key component of PTC is an advanced wireless communications system that integrates the system of technologies. That’s why, following the passage of the RSIA, the freight rail industry adopted Meteorcomm’s ITCnet® platform as its nationwide PTC communications solution. With the ability to reliably relay mission-critical data across the entire nation’s rail infrastructure, ITCnet® provides the needed wireless communications functions to successfully support PTC operations and signaling.

Meteorcomm creates products based on the following principles:

Interoperability: Systems made to exchange data seamlessly across railroads

Reliability: Reducing risk of operational interruptions with solutions developed to support up to 5-9s reliability.

Scalability: Solutions built to accommodate new services and applications.

Maintainability: Products designed to make maintenance easier and faster.

Availability: Products and solutions built to maximize uptime through high reliability and ease of maintenance.