CN said it has successfully met the federal requirement to operate Positive Train Control (PTC) on all 35 of its U.S. subdivisions required to be equipped with PTC.
This railroad reached the milestone 13 months ahead of the December 2020 deadline.
“This milestone is a testament to the tenacious dedication of our CN railroading family,” Rob Reilly, executive vice-president and chief operating officer, said in a news release. “It has been a tremendous journey, full of challenges, and obstacles we overcame.”
PTC is a safety overlay designed to prevent certain accidents resulting from human error, such as overspeed derailments. The system can initiate a full-service brake application to stop a train if the crew does not take action. It is the largest technology program deployed in CN history and is a major investment in our network.
CN is currently interoperable with Amtrak, CSX, NS, BNSF, CP and WSOR. It expects to become fully interoperable with all tenant railroads by December 31, 2020.
The implementation of PTC across the railroad sets the framework and architecture for future technological advancements. PTC is the catalyst that advanced technology, processes, tools, and training capabilities and has fundamentally changed the way CN operates its rail network.
“We can be proud that we met our regulatory targets and implemented a broad new portfolio of innovative technologies in geospatial information systems, location tracking, data analytics, machine learning, automation, a new dispatching system and safety and reliability engineering,” Reilly stated.
