Four Years After Tragedy, NJ Transit Meets Train Control Deadline

NEW JERSEY — State officials announced Friday that NJ Transit has met the Dec. 31 deadline to fully install Positive Train Control. Some have said that the automated system — meant to control a train's speed and thus reduce operator error — might have prevented a tragedy on the rails in 2016.

On Sept. 29, 2016, a speeding NJ Transit train crashed into the end of the line at Hoboken terminal, causing debris to rain down and kill a young mother. The mother, Fabiola de Kroon, had just dropped her toddler daughter at day care in Hoboken and was about to commute to work in New York.

An investigation determined that the conductor's sleep apnea may have paid a part in the crash. He was ultimately rehired by the transit agency, but with conditions.

Positive Train Control uses Global Positioning System technology, Wi-Fi, and high band radio transmission to automatically control train speeds and movements.

Twelve years ago, Congress passed and the president signed the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which required the implementation of a PTC system on all non-exempt commuter railroads, including NJ TRANSIT.

In 2015, Congress extended the deadline for full implementation to Dec. 31, 2018, but also allowed FRA to approve any railroad’s request for an alternative schedule, with a final deadline of Dec. 31, 2020, if the railroad demonstrated it met certain statutory criteria by that 2018 interim deadline.

Must sync with Amtrak, others

Among the challenges of the project, PTC systems on various railroads in New Jersey have to communicate with each other. NJ TRANSIT's rail system includes 12 commuter rail lines, most operating on tracks shared with other freight and passenger railroads.

Amtrak's heavily traveled Northeast Corridor uses a different PTC system than NJ Transit does. And NJ Transit has a total of five tenant railroads, including the two largest, Conrail and Norfolk Southern.

According to an NJ Transit press release, when Gov. Phil Murphy took office in January of 2018, the project was at just 12 percent completion toward the 2018 interim goal for equipment and infrastructure installation.

As a new technology, PTC required design, development, testing, retrofitting locomotives and cab cars, installation of 326 miles of wayside equipment including radios, transponders and poles, as well as employee training.

Three crashes cited

“This has been a brutal year for New Jerseyans and for our lifeblood transit lines. So it’s welcome news that New Jersey Transit will meet the federal PTC mandate I have championed to ensure the safety of our commuters,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell, who helped secure federal aid for NJT to install PTC. “Just in our region over the past several years, the Hoboken Terminal crash, the tragedy on Amtrak outside Philly, and the Metro-North derailment in Spuyten Duyvil show us the need for PTC because it can save lives.”

Gov. Murphy said, “Our commitment to meeting this deadline and ensuring the safety of every rider along NJ TRANSIT’s rail network is simply an extension of our overall commitment to delivering the world-class transportation experience that NJ TRANSIT customers deserve.”

“Positive Train Control is a proven life-saving technology that can automatically slow down a train when its operator cannot or becomes incapacitated for any reason," said U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, the ranking member of the Senate’s transit subcommittee. "Full implementation of PTC makes our rails safer and prevents tragedy."

“The full implementation of this life-saving technology is welcome news for the hundreds of thousands of New Jersey rail passengers who rely on safe and reliable service,” said U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.

Read More: Tears For Young Mother Killed In Hoboken Train Crash

Read More: Officials Oppose Study About Repairing Old Rail Tunnel To NYC

Copies of the PTC certification letters can be found at the following links:
Letter 1
Letter 2
Letter 3

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