The Presidents of the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad today announced that roll-out of Positive Train Control (PTC) is nearly completed at both railroads and is expected to be complete on time by the end of the year, despite the unprecedented and catastrophic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the finances of the railroads’ parent organization, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). 

MTA Metro-North Railroad

East of the Hudson River, installation of PTC equipment along the wayside is complete and all trains on the Harlem Line, Hudson Line, and Danbury Branch are operating with Positive Train Control. On the New Haven Line and the New Haven Line’s New Canaan Branch, the railroad has completed testing the PTC software for the line’s M8 electric cars and is obtaining the safety certification that will allow M8 trains to enter PTC operations at the end of the month.

The Waterbury Branch in Connecticut is exempt from the federal PTC mandate due to the small number of trains. Nevertheless, the State of Connecticut has opted to have a new cab signal system installed on the Branch to improve overall safety, and PTC will be implemented as an overlay to the new signal system by the end of 2021.  

West of the Hudson River, the Pascack Valley Line began PTC operations in September, and the railroad expects the Port Jervis Line to begin PTC operations by early December. 

MTA Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road implemented PTC through Jamaica in October and the system is now operating on 98% of the railroad’s 305 route miles. The remaining segment to be implemented is the complex of switches in Sunnyside, Queens, known as Harold Interlocking, where Amtrak and LIRR trains merge to reach Penn Station. All testing required for this location has been completed. The LIRR expects to implement PTC at this location as soon as Amtrak finalizes its PTC in the adjacent rail lines they control. 

-via Press Release