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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Positive Train Control (PTC) Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) Study Phase II

Document Series:
Technical Reports
Author:
  • Federal Railroad Administration
Report Number
DOT/FRA/ORD-26/09
Office
RDI-20
Subject:
Positive Train Control
Keywords:
Positive Train Control, PTC, enhanced operations, train control, reliability, availability, maintainability, RAM
Report Number
DOT/FRA/ORD-26/09
Office
RDI-20
Document

Between September 2018 and November 2021, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) sponsored a research team from Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), now MxV Rail, to investigate and address areas of Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) that are critical to the long-term sustainability and operation of Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. Although today’s PTC systems provide safety benefits, they can significantly impact railroad operations when they stop or slow trains unnecessarily. The research team developed methods and tools to analyze and quantify the negative impact of PTC-related events and applied them to data collected from actual PTC operations to produce RAM growth recommendations.


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Last updated: Tuesday, August 4, 2026