The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) awarded the MTA Metro-North Railroad two Gold Awards during its Rail Conference in Pittsburgh this month.
MTA Metro-North was recognized for the Gold Award in the rail safety and rail emergency categories.
“Metro-North’s mission is to be a safe, reliable, and efficient railroad providing regional mobility and excellent service to our customers,” Metro-North Railroad senior vice president of operations Justin Vonashek said. “These projects required hard-work and collaboration throughout our agency, and reflect our pursuit of this mission. We are honored to have our efforts recognized by APTA.”
In the rail safety category, MTA Metro-North was honored for its contribution in the development of an enhanced laser technology that is used to mitigate low rail adhesion conditions. The railroad uses laser technology to remove debris and residue caused by crushed fallen leaves. When leaves are crushed by passing trains, they create pectate gels that combine with iron in the rails to form a residue on the tracks that reduces rail adhesion. The loss of rail adhesion can trigger a train’s emergency brake system and damage the wheels.
MTA Metro-North retrofitted its “Comet III” train to use lasers to remove the residue. Since Fall of 2022, Metro-North has safely cleaned over 12,000 miles of track with the laser train, resulting in a 40 percent reduction in slip and slide events, as well as making it the lowest wheel-true cost season on record.
In the Rail Emergency category, MTA Metro-North received top honors for its dual-level high water alarm system used to mitigate flood risk. The alert system notifies the Operations Control Center of flood conditions, which allows them to notify trains and dispatch personnel. Using the technology reduces flood condition response time which reduces service delays, the railroad said.