CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546

FOR RELEASE: December 19, 2018

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062 FAX: (860) 594-3065 WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot

GOV. MALLOY ANNOUNCES CONNECTICUT COMPLETES POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL INSTALLATION ON ALL PASSENGER RAIL LINES

State Meets Newly Enacted Federal Safety Standards to Prevent Train Collisions

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that every passenger rail line in Connecticut will have positive train control (PTC) installed on their systems by December 31, 2018, fulfilling a recently enacted requirement by the Federal Railroad Administration for every passenger rail line in the country to implement the safety measure by the end of the year.

PTC is a system designed to stop a train automatically before an accident occurs, including preventing train-to-train collisions, derailments caused by excessive train speed, movement of a train onto sections of track where maintenance work is taking place, and incidents when a track switch has been left in the wrong position.

“Tens of thousands of Connecticut residents depend on passenger rail service for their daily commutes, and they deserve to have a best-in-class, safe, and effective system,” Governor Malloy said.  “We have been moving aggressively to improve and modernize the infrastructure in our state because a strong and reliable transportation system is key to a robust economy where people want to live and businesses can grow.  The Connecticut Department of Transportation has moved assertively on the implementation of these rail safety measures and I want to thank them for their continued work on this effort.”

“Safety has always been our top priority and I am pleased to report that Connecticut passenger rail lines will be in full compliance with the new federal requirements,” Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker said.  “Our rail lines are already exceptionally safe and positive train control provides us with another layer of safety.”

Connecticut has three passenger rail lines.  The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) owns the portion of the New Haven Line between New Haven and the New York state border, while Amtrak owns the Hartford Line between New Haven and Springfield, Massachusetts, as well as Shore Line East between New Haven and New London.

On the New Haven Line, which also includes branches to New Canaan, Danbury, and Waterbury, CTDOT partnered with MTA Metro-North for the PTC installation.  Metro-North achieved a significant milestone over the summer, implementing civil speed enforcement – a key component of PTC that prevents a train from traveling too fast around a curve or over a bridge.  Further, Metro-North has completed installation of all PTC hardware, trained all of its employees, acquired all of the necessary radio spectrum, and has a segment of track on its Hudson Line operating under full PTC.

PTC will be in operation on each of the Amtrak-owned lines beginning December 31, 2018.