SunRail's new safety system is on the way

The head of the Federal Railroad Administration identified SunRail as one of nine passenger railroads that are running behind schedule on the installation of the mandatory high-tech system designed to reduce or prevent, derailments and collisions between trains.

Federal Railroad Administrator Ronald Batory offered that negative assessment to a Congressional subcommittee in mid-September while delivering a progress report on the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) systems on railroads throughout the nation.

SunRail PTC test train

In addition to SunRail, Batory also named the New Mexico Rail Runner Express; Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority; New Jersey Transit; Altamont Corridor Express; Maryland Area Regional Commuter; Trinity Railway Express; Caltrain and Tri Rail (in south Florida).

SunRail CEO Nicola Liquori responded to Batory’s concerns in a letter that shows SunRail is actually on track to meet deadlines for the installation and implementation of PTC.

Her letter is excellent news for passengers who ride SunRail, and the crews that operate trains.

Several major crashes that resulted in dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries could be prevented by PTC.

PTC technology prevents trains from going too fast and prevents collisions between trains that are on the same tracks. However, PTC cannot prevent crashes caused by pedestrians or cars that trespass on the tracks.

The PTC system is expensive and complicated. It requires the installation of high-tech hardware and software in trains, along the tracks and in the operations center for the railroad. The system must interface with all the trains that use the tracks. SunRail owns the track corridor from Poinciana in Osceola County to DeLand in Volusia County. Those tracks are also used by Amtrak and freight trains.

In her letter to Washington, Ms. Liquori wrote: “Quarterly progress reporting lags with respect to the Central Florida Rail Corridor’s (the legal name for SunRail) actual progress. CFRC has progressed ahead of schedule with respect to planned hardware installation. As of Sept. 17, 2018, CFRC has achieved PTC installation across the following segments:”

·        Locomotives

·        Radio towers

·        Operations headquarters

·        Wayside interface units. These units are installed along the actual track corridor. At the time of the letter, technicians had installed 80 of 86 trackside units.

In addition, SunRail is training employees on how the system works.

It’s also noteworthy that in early September, SunRail assembled a special train (shown in the accompanying photo) that included 2 locomotives, 4 coach cars and one cab car (where the engineer sits to operate southbound trains) to test the PTC system over a weekend between the Sanford and Longwood stations.

Liquori wrote that she anticipates that the PTC system will be fully implemented by the fourth quarter of 2019. Full implementation is dependent on certification by federal officials.

“The mission of the Florida Department of Transportation is to provide a safe and efficient transportation system throughout the state, including along our rail corridor,” Liquori wrote in the letter.

“We understand that the successful implementation of Positive Train Control, as required by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, is integral to fulfilling our mission. The safety of our passengers, employees and the general public is our top priority. As such, the implementation of PTC on our corridor and our fleet is of paramount importance,” she wrote.

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Scoop on SunRail crossing gates

Recently we published a post about our concerns that some SunRail railroad crossing gates seemed to be malfunctioning.

We reached out to SunRail with questions, and for their explanation on what we see happening sometimes at crossings.

Here’s are SunRail’s responses and explanations:

“We know that the operation of these signals is quite complex.

“For instance, it is important to note that the safest mode for the gates to be in -- is in the down position-- in fact they are designed to go into a fail-safe mode in the down position. This would not necessarily mean that there is a malfunction, because this is how the gates were designed to operate.

“For the last month there were a total of 21 reported crossing malfunctions, for the week in question of January 25^th through January 31^st there were a total of 5 reported crossing malfunctions...”

“Regarding Holden Avenue, we have had recurring issues at this crossing which have been identified and should be repaired in total this week (planned for today). In the interim, train crews have been directed to verify the crossing is operating correctly and proceed across the intersection at 15 MPH. This does not cause delays to SunRail trains.

“Regarding Michigan Street, a mechanical failure was reported on Friday that required a single train crew to stop and flag for protection pending repairs. The crossing gate was placed back in service at 1500 hours. No delays were reported to SunRail trains.

“Regarding the Central Boulevard crossing, this gate was working as intended. When a train is stopped NB at Church Street Station, the crossing control equipment sees the train on approach to the crossing, predicts the train’s speed and distance, and then activates the crossing. 

“When a train stops at the station, after a predetermined time, the gates will go up to allow for the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Once the train starts to leave the station, the crossing gates will be re-activated and the engineer is not allowed per CFRC operating rules to cross through the intersection until the gates are fully deployed in a horizontal position.”

We also asked SunRail to review a video we shot showing the crossing gate at South Street in downtown Orlando remaining down in a horizontal position after the train left the station.

SunRail wrote:

“This does not appear to be a malfunction. The gates are working as intended. The gates likely stayed down on South Street due to where the locomotive engineer spotted the train in the block at the station. (In other words, where the train was parked at the station in relation to a sensor)”

So what did we learn from this?

The crossing-gates system is very complicated. The gates can and do fail, but SunRail seems to be diligent about making timely repairs.

That said, we’re going to tell our loved ones to be very careful when they pass through a SunRail railroad crossing. Even though the gate just went up, a train could be on its way to the crossing.

TGIF on SunRail, but don't get stupid

Many people like to let their hair down a little on Friday night, but a few SunRail riders are getting too carried away.

We keep hearing reports about riders who have overindulged on “adult beverages” bothering other passengers or otherwise making fools of themselves on some Friday evening SunRail trains.

Come on folks, SunRail is not a rolling “drunk tank.” Drunken, misbehaving riders undermine the campaign to expand SunRail service to weekends and late-night hours. We want people to be able to relax and take the train to catch a show; see a game, or have dinner and laughs with friends. Just please, demonstrate a little personal responsibility.

People who get drunk and board SunRail make the ride uncomfortable, and unsafe, for everyone else on the train. Boozehounds have “accidents” in the onboard restroom and cause other disruptions. Conductors have too much to do without having to play wet nurse to some immature drunks. Hard-partying drunks who choose to take SunRail add to the cost of security and maintenance.

If you want to slam drinks until you're totally wasted, do us a favor: Catch a cab.