Positive Train Control, Automatic Train Protection, Automatic Train Stop
Note: Links to the resources below reflect "full text available online" search results only. Many additional research reports exist in journals and conference proceedings not freely available online. For more comprehensive information, you should search the Transportation Research Information Service (TRIS) Online and also the Transportation Libraries group catalog, TLCat. This bibliography reflects only a small subset of the total research available on this subject.
Transportation Research Thesaurus (TRT) Terms: Positive train control (PTC). Use For Advanced train control systems. Broader Term: Automatic train control. Related Terms: (Hierarchical) Automatic train operation; Automatic train protection; Automatic train stop system; Automatic train supervision; and Block control systems.
Definition and Scope
Federal Railroad Administration: Positive Train Control (PTC)
Federal Railroad Administration: Positive Train Control Overview
Federal Railroad Administration: Positive Train Control Analyses
Federal Railroad Administration: Signal & Train Control Compliance Manual
Wikipedia - Automatic Train Protection
Wikipedia - Automatic Train Stop
Wikipedia - Automatic Train Control (stop)
Wikidpedia - Cab Signaling
Wikipedia - Communication Based Train Control
Wikipedia - Dead Man's Switch
Wikipedia - European Train Control Systems
Wikipedia - Positive Train Control
Wikipedia - Train Protection System
Articles/Press Releases
Alaska's Positive Thinking. (Positive train control could be the answer to a safer and more efficient future for the railway sector). Railway-technology.com. August 27, 2008.
ALSTROM - Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES)
Cases for common ground: we now have Positive Train Control systems that work. Railway Age. July 2007.
EC Adopts Interoperability Legislation for European Trains. May 2008
Positive Train Control Answer to U.S. Railway Woes. Lockheed Martin. 2004
Positive Train Control (PTC): Calculating Benefits and Costs of a New Railroad Control Technology. Journal of the TRF. Summer 2005
Positive Train Control in Transition. Progressive Railroading. October 4, 2007
Positive Train Control: Ready To Go? Mass Transit. December 2007-January 2008.
PTC Is FRA pushing too hard? - the railroads continue work on the Positive Train Control program, with emphasis on conforming to the Federal Railway Administration standards, especially [sic] in the area of safety. Railway Age. August, 1999.
Pushing forward PTC: railroads and suppliers have picked up the pace in deploying next-generation train control. Railway Age. November 2006.
Railroads question PTC timetable. Railway Age. June, 2007.
Stop, in the name of progress: ECP—the most significant development in freight train braking since George Westinghouse invented air brakes in the 19th Century—is ready for broad deployment. Railway Age. April 2008.
Summary of HR 2095, The Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007. Mass Transit Magazine. May, 2007.
Train control should move into the communications age: it is time for the railway industry to embrace the systems that are now proven to be superior in terms of safety, availability, and life-cycle cost and move their train control and signalling systems into the communication age. International Railway Journal. February 2005.
Two New Technologies Ready to Roll (Positive Train Control). International Railway Journal. April 2008.
Websites & Associations
Association of American Railroads
American Public Transportation Association - Commuter Rail Committee
American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association
Great Western Railway Automatic Train Control
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
IEEE Std 1474 Series, Communications Based Train Control (CBTC). IEEE Rail Transit Vehicle Interface Standards Committee, Working Group 2.
Institute of Railway Signal Engineers
Institute of Transportation Engineers
International Railway Journal
National Transportation Safety Board's "Most Wanted" List: Implement Positive Train Control Systems
Quarterly Report of Railway Technology Research Institute of Japan
Railway Gazette International
Railway Technical Research Institute
Railway Technology
Transportation Research Board - Commuter Rail Transportation Committee (AP070)
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
Reports & Studies
An Examination Of Railroad Yard Worker Safety. Final Report. DOT/FRA/ORD-01/20. Reinach, S; Gertler, J. July 2001.
Benefit-Cost Evaluation Of A Highway-Railroad Intermodal Control System (ICS). Lee Jr, D B; Gay, K; Carroll, A A; Hellman, A; Sposato, S. June 2004.
Benefits and Costs of Positive Train Control. Federal Railroad Administration. 2004
Commuter Rail Safety Study. Federal Transit Administration. Office of Safety and Security. November 2006.
Communication Based Train Control - CBTC Standardization: Can it be Achieved? T.J. Sullivan. Railway Age Status Report. Parsons-Brinkerhoff. May 1997.
(Microsoft PowerPoint)
Differential GPS: An Aid to Positive Train Control. Report to the Committees on Appropriations. Federal Railroad Administration. June 1995
Effects of Supervisory Train Control Technology on Operator Attention: Human Factors in Railroad Operations. Final Report. DOT/FRA/ORD-04/10. Marinakos, Helias; Sheridan, Thomas; Multer, Jordan. July 2005.
High Speed Rail IDEA Project 50 [Active (IDEA)]. A Track Sensor for Predicting Train Arrival Time. 2004
Human Factors Considerations in the Evaluation of Processor-Based Signal and Train Control Systems: Human Factors in Railroad Operations. Final Report. DOT/FRA/ORD-07/07. John Wreathall, Emilie Roth, Dennis Bley, Jordan Multer. Published by Volpe National Transportation Systems Center; Federal Railroad Administration. June 2007.
Human Factors Phase III: Effects of Train Control Technology on Operator Performance: Human Factors in Railroad Operations. Final Report. DOT/FRA/ORD-04/18. Lanzilotta, Edward J; Sheridan, Thomas B. January 2005.
Human Factors Phase IV: Risk Analysis Tool for New Train Control Technology. Final Report. DOT/FRA/ORD-04/17. Lanzilotta, Edward J; Sheridan, Thomas B. January 2005.
Human Factors Root Cause Analysis of Accidents/Incidents Involving Remote Control Locomotive Operations. Final Report. DOT/FRA/ORD-06/05. Reinach, Stephen; Viale, Alex. May 2006
Human Reliability Analysis in Support of Risk Assessment for Positive Train Control. Final Report. DOT/FRA/ORD-03/15. J. Wreathall, E Roth, D. Bley J.Multer. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center; Federal Railroad Administration, June 2003
Information Paper - Driver Safety Systems and Automatic Train Protection. Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator. Australia. November, 2005.
Intelligent Transportation System/Positive Train Control at Highway-Rail Intersections. Research Results (RR 07-20). Federal Railroad Administration. June 2007.
Logical Verification and Systematic Parametric Analysis in Train Control. Andre Platzer and Jan-David Quesel. University of Oldenburg, Department of Computing Science, Germany. 2008.
Main Line Signaling Strategies for the European Transport Network. Dr. Alfred Veider. Alcatel-Lucent. 2nd Qtr. 2004
Microprocessor Signal and Train Control: A New Regulatory Approach. Hartong, Mark W; Cataldi, Olga K. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2006.
North American Commuter Rail. Committee on Commuter Rail Transportation (A1E07). Transportation Research Board.
PTC - Benefits and Cost of Positive Train Control. Report in Response to Request of Appropriations Committee. Federal Railroad Administration. August 2004.
Quantification of the Business Benefits of Positive Train Control. Zeta-Tech Associates. Federal Railroad Administration. Mar. 15, 2004 (revised).
Rail Passenger Safety: Equipment and Technologies. Transit Cooperative Research Program (TRCP). Research Results Digest 85. Aug. 2007.
Rail Transit Capacity (Part B) Chapter 3 "Train Control and Signaling". Transit Cooperative Research Program (TRCP), Report 13. Transportation Research Board. 1996.
Relative Risk of Workload Transitions in Positive Train Control. Final Report. Wreathall, John Woods, David D; Bing, Alan J; Christoffersen, Klaus. March 2007
"Reliance" and "Distraction" Effects in PTC Automation. T.B. Sheridan (MIT), F.C. Gamst (Univ. of Mass. Boston), and R.A. Harvey (BLE). White Paper. Nov. 28, 1999.
Risk And Train Control: A Framework For Analysis. Martland, C D; Zhu, Y; Lahrech, Y; Sussman, J M. Transportation Research Record. 2001.
"Safety in the Future" from On Track: The Future of Railway Safety in Canada, Section 10. 1994
Safety of Remote Control Locomotive (RCL) Operations. 2006.
Simulation of Urban Rail Operations: Application Framework. Koutsopoulos, Haris; Wang, Zhigao. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2007.
Conference Proceedings
Intelligent Transportation Systems And Their Implications For Railroads. Proceedings of a Joint FRA-ITS American Technical Symposium. 1998.
Positive Train Control Systems Symposium. National Transportation Safety Board. March 2-3, 2005.
Positive Train Control - A Regulatory Perspective. National Capital Land Transportation Committee. March 2-3, 2008.
Radio-based ETCS/PTC is the Millennium Touchstone for Capacity, Safety & Efficiency Improvement on Progressive Railways. Chandrika Prasad. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. 2002
Radio Frequency Identification Location & Communication-Based Train Control System in Qinghai-Tibet Railway of China. Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003
Railroad Industry Perspective. Robert C. VanderClute. NTSB PTC Symposium, March 2, 2005
Safety, Service, and Sustainable Growth: Technology and People Working Together. Jo Strang, Grady C. Cothen Jr. Workshop on Research to Enhance Rail Network Performance. Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings on the Web No. 3. 2007. p.45-59 (p. 55-69 on PDF file).
Train Dispatching Effectiveness With Respect To Communications-Based Train Control: Quantification Of The Relationship. Smith, M E; Resor, R R; Patel, P. Transportation Research Record. 1997.
U.S. Railroad History Relating to Fatigue, Safety Culture, and Technology. Frederick C. Gamst. Midyear Meeting of the Transportation Research Board Railroad Operational Safety Subcommittee. Transportation Research E-Circular No. E-C085 Transportation Research Board, January 2006. p. 25-61.
Testimony
APTA Testimony Before the House Subcommittee on Railroads, House Transportation and infrastructure Committee. April 1, 1998
Rail Safety: The Federal Railroad Administration is Taking Steps to Better Target its Oversight, but Assessment of Results is Needed to Determine Impact. Government Accountability Office. January 2007.
Report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees: The Safety of Push-Pull and Multiple-Unit Locomotive Passenger Rail Operations. June 2006.
Statement of the American Public Transportation Association Before the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on The Rail Safety Enhancement Act of 2007.
Testimony before the Subcommittee on Railroads, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Technology Committee on Science, House of Representatives Regarding Automatic Train Control. March 27, 1996
Legislation
49 CFR Part 229, 234, 235, et al.: Positive Train Control Systems; Final Rule (January 15, 2010). Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration
S. 918: Federal Railroad Safety Accountability and Improvement Act (Lautenberg)
S. 3493: A bill to require rail carriers to develop positive rail control system plans for improving railroad safety and to increase the civil penalties for railroad safety violations. (Feinstein)
H. Res. 724: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2095) to amend title 49, United States Code, to prevent railroad fatalities, injuries, and hazardous materials releases, to authorize the Federal Railroad Safety Administration, and for other purposes. (Matsui)
H.R. 1033: Ari's Law. To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a grant program to improve railroad safety by providing funds for the construction and maintenance of fencing and other protective structures along railroad tracks, and for other purposes. (Weiner)
H.R. 1516: Federal Railroad Safety Accountability and Improvement Act (Oberstar)
H.R. 2095: Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 (Oberstar)
H.R. 6973: To require rail carriers to develop positive train control system plans for improving railroad safety and increase the civil penalties for railroad safety violations (Schiff)
Podcasts / Video
Trains, Tragedy and Modern Technology. Which Way L.A. program, KCRW, September 15, 2008
Safety is Our Destination - National Transportation Safety Board
Metrolink - 1992
Metrolink, MetroThink
Dept Homeland Security: Metrolink - Public Service Announcement
Patents
Automatic Train Control System and Method
Automatic Train Stop System
Automatic Train-Stop Mechanism
Distributed Positive Train Control System
Incremental Train Control System
Train Stop Control Device
Vendors
Alcatel-Lucent
Alstrom
Ansaldo
AZD Praha
Bombardier
GE Transportation Systems
Interfleet Technology
Nippon Signal
SAFETRAN Systems
Siemens
Transportation Systems Design, Inc. Communications Based Train Control
Twinco
Union Switch & Signal
Wabtec
Westinghouse Rail Systems
Westinghouse Rail Systems Australia
Accident Investigation Reports - Train vs. Train
Railroad Accident Report: Collision Of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Freight Train With Metrolink Passenger Train, Placentia, California, April 23, 2002.
Railroad Accident Report: Uncontrolled Movement, Collision, And Passenger Fatality On The Angels Flight Railway In Los Angeles, California, February 1, 2001.
National Transportation Safety Board Railroad Accident Report: Rear-End Collision of National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK) Train P286 with CSXT Freight Train Q620 on the CSX Railroad at Syracuse, New York, on February 5, 2001.
Railroad Accident Report: Collision Of Two Canadian National/Illinois Central Railway Trains Near Clarkston, Michigan, November 15, 2001.
Railroad Accident Report: Collision Of Two Burlington Northern Santa Fe Freight Trains Near Clarendon, Texas, May 28, 2002.
Railroad Accident Report: Collision of Two CN Freight Trains, Anding, Mississippi, July 10, 2005
Railroad Accident Brief: Rear-end Collision of Norfolk Southern Trains near Lincoln, Alabama, January 18, 2006
Railroad Accident Brief: Collision of Two Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Trains, Abington, Pennsylvania, July 1, 2006
Collision of Runaway CN Railway Locomotives and Northern Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad (Metra) Train in Chicago, Illinois, on March 7, 2007.
Two Rear-End Collisions Involving Chicago Transit Authority Rapid Transit Trains at Chicago, Illinois, June 17 and August 3, 2001.
Railroad Accident Brief: Collision of Two Union Pacific Railroad Trains, Bertram, California, November 10, 2007
Railroad Accident Brief: Collision of Two Union Pacific Railroad Trains, Carrizozo, New Mexico, February 21, 2004
Additional reports available from: National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Last edited on 4/21/2010
by: Kenn Bicknell
Keywords:
positive train control, automatic train control, bibliographies
