Quick-Response Research on Long-Term Strategic Issues. Task 55. Impact of Positive Train Control

Positive Train Control (PTC) is a system that increases safety and reduces the risk of accidents by preventing train-to-train collisions, overspeed derailments, protection against improperly lined switches, and unauthorized incursion into work zones. Public transit agencies that operate commuter and intercity passenger rail services have been required to have positive train control (PTC) installed since 2020. To meet this deadline, agencies had to invest immense resources into new infrastructure and specially trained staff to develop and test the system. Now that the initial implementation has been completed and agencies have been operating with PTC for a significant amount of time, there is a need to better understand the safety benefits of PTC and additional ways PTC infrastructure and staff can be leveraged to improve safety and efficiency. PTC technology and principles are also being developed for other modes of passenger rail, such as light rail systems to increase safety and reduce the risk of catastrophic accidents. Given the significant cost of implementing and operating PTC systems, there is a great need for examination of how the requirement to install PTC has improved safety and how PTC infrastructure and staff can be leveraged to improve safety and efficiency. Additionally, there is a need to understand how PTC technology can most effectively be deployed in other modes. The objective of this study is to determine the impact of PTC on safety and how PTC infrastructure and staff can be leveraged.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=6007
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $150,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project J-11, Task 55

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Transit Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Federal Transit Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Garcia-Colberg, Mariela

• Start Date: 20251208
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Before and after studies; Impacts; Positive train control; Public transit; Railroad safety
• Subject Areas: Public Transportation; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01973735
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project J-11, Task 55
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Dec 8 2025 8:06PM