Canadian railway operator CN (CNR) has successfully completed federally required interoperability testing with all tenant railroads.
By achieving interoperability, the company can now operate Positive Train Control (PTC) on its subdivisions in the United States, which are equipped with PTC. Currently, CN has 35 subdivisions equipped with PTC in the U.S.
PTC is a safety overlay designed to prevent accidents which are the result of human error, such as overspeed derailments. If the crew of a train does not take action, the PTC system can initiate a full service brake application in order to stop the train.
Interoperability allows a tenant railroad to move over CN’s PTC-equipped track in PTC operation. The achievement of interoperability is a major safety milestone for CN, which the company has reached ahead of schedule.
In related news, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has approved and certified the company’s PTC system. This certification is another important achievement for CN.
CN’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Rob Reilly, commented on the company’s continuing progress in deploying technology.
“Safety is a core value at CN and we are proud of what our CN railroaders have achieved, securing certification from the FRA of CN’s PTC system and completing the interoperability testing by working with our tenant railroads,” he said.
“We look forward to using this investment in PTC as a platform for future technology initiatives to enhance the safety of our employees and the communities in which we operate,” he added.
CN is down 0.38 per cent and is trading for $140.49 per share, as of 12:14pm EST.