Railway Interchange 2019

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Prevention of End-of-Track Collisions in Passenger Terminals via Positive Train Control: A Benefit-Cost Analysis (Room 205 B)

24 Sep 19
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Tracks: AREMA Technical Sessions By Date- Communications & Signals, AREMA Technical Sessions By Functional Group- Communications & Signals, Technical Sessions By Day- Tuesday

End-of-track collisions in passenger terminals have raised safety concerns due to their potential severe consequences such as infrastructure and rolling stock damage, service disruption, and even casualties. As introduced in our previous study sponsored by the US Federal Railroad Administration (Zhang et al., 2018), the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) systems at passenger terminal stations could potentially prevent the end-of-track collisions. As the second phase of that project, the objective of this paper is the development of a benefit-cost analysis (BCA) to identify and evaluate the safety benefits and incremental implementation costs associated with PTC enforcement on terminating tracks. The preliminary analytical results indicate that the safety benefit may exceed the incremental cost over a 20-year period under specified circumstances and assumptions. In light of various uncertainties due to data limitations, the paper also performs a sensitivity analysis by a series of factors to understand how the benefit-cost ratio may vary under different conditions. The methodology is being implemented into a decision tool that can be customized for different terminals with heterogeneous infrastructure and operational characteristics. *Missed this Session or want to view it again? Stop by the VirtualAREMA kiosk located in the Registration area to purchase this product today!