Action
Final order of particular applicability.
Summary
FRA issues an order of particular applicability (order) applying to certain trains operating on the track controlled by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Washington, DC, and Boston, Massachusetts. The order requires all trains operating between New Haven, Connecticut and Boston (NEC-North End) to be controlled by locomotives equipped to respond to a new advanced civil speed enforcement system (ACSES) in addition to the automatic train control (ATC) system currently required on the NEC. On the NEC between Washington, DC and New York, New York (NEC-South End), where access to the high-speed track is prevented by switches locked in the normal position and a parallel route to the high-speed track is provided at crossovers from adjacent tracks, and where no junctions providing direct access exist, ACSES-equipped trains may operate to a maximum speed not to exceed 135 miles per hour (mph). This order also contains performance standards for the cab signal/ATC and ACSES systems on the NEC, and authorizes increases in certain maximum authorized train speeds and safety requirements supporting improved rail service.