Tuesday, July 21, 1998 (Washington, DC ) FRA Orders New Safety System For the Northeast Corridor

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today ordered installation of a new train control system to ensure safety for faster trains on the northeast corridor between New Haven, Conn., and Boston.

"Safety is President Clinton’s highest transportation priority," U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater said. "This new train control system will help ensure the highest levels of safety, even as Amtrak and commuter use of the corridor continues to grow."

The new Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES), in combination with existing cab signal and automatic train control features already in place, will complete the elements of Positive Train Control (PTC) for a key portion of the nation’s busiest railroad.

"By significantly reducing the risk of derailment or collision, this final order will benefit all users on this portion of the northeast corridor, including railroad employees, passengers and freight railroads," FRA Administrator Jolene M. Molitoris said.

In addition to Amtrak, entities subject to the order include commuter service provided by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, as well as two freight operators, Providence and Worcester Railroad.

The order also authorizes Amtrak to increase speeds to 135 miles per hour south of New York City for its equipped high speed trains after installation of ACSES on high-speed tracks.

The current order does not apply to other trains south of New Haven, but New Jersey Transit Rail Operations (NJT) has already announced that it is implementing an ACSES-compatible system for all of its trains and rail lines. NJT is a major operator on the northeast corridor.

The first of Amtrak’s new high speed trains is expected to enter service between New Haven and Boston in October of 1999. The high speed trains will be tilt trains capable of rapid acceleration to 150 miles per hour and higher than normal speeds around curves.

Under an agreement with FRA, Amtrak’s high speed trains will be built to the most stringent safety standards of any high-speed rail equipment in the world, including incorporation of crash energy management features to protect occupants in the unlikely event of a derailment or collision. The FRA has proposed passenger equipment safety standards that would formalize these requirements for all high-speed trains in the future.

Passenger trains along the northeast corridor’s 456-mile system are the fastest and most frequently used trains in the United States. Annually, more than 11 million intercity and 125 million commuter trips are made on the corridor. This new train control system will reduce travel times, improve ride quality, reduce congestion, provide a positive environmental impact, and, above all, enhance safety.

The FRA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation.