The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently said it would begin accepting applications for Positive Train Control (PTC) Systems Grants and that it will award $250 million for the deployment of PTC system technology for freight rail transportation, commuter rail passenger transportation, and intercity passenger rail transportation.
Projects eligible for the grants include any component, testing and training for the implementation of PTC systems; wayside, communications and onboard hardware equipment; software; equipment installation; and back-office systems.
The application deadline is 45 days after the application notice is published in the Federal Register.
“The railroads are making progress towards meeting the congressionally mandated PTC requirement, but there is still work to be done,” FRA Administrator Ronald L. Batory said. “The FRA will continue to work with railroads and suppliers to assist in fully implementing PTC.”
Approximately 60 percent of freight railroads have PTC systems in operation as of March 31, while only 25 percent of passenger railroads do.
During the first quarter of 2018, 14 railroads had PTC completely installed, and six increased their percentage of hardware installation by more than 10 percent.
Congress required most Class I railroads to fully implement PTC by Dec. 31, 2015, but eventually extended the deadline to Dec. 31, 2018.