Port Authority Installing Positive Train Control for PATH Lines
The agency announced weekend work and closures will begin Feb. 14 and that PATH will be one of the country’s first rail transit systems to meet the December 2015 federal deadline for implementing the technology.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced weekend closures of the World Trade Center and Exchange Place PATH stations will start Feb. 14 as The Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation, a key transit link between Manhattan and New Jersey, starts to install Positive Train Control technology on the lines. PATH will be one of the first U.S. rail transit systems to meet the federal government's December 2015 deadline for implementing Positive Train Control, which aims to apply a train's brakes automatically if a collision appears imminent.
Security improvements and continued cleanup of salt residue left by Hurricane Sandy also will be accomplished during the closures for 45 weekends of the stations; some work will take place in tunnels under the Hudson River, according to the authority's news release. Major holiday weekends are excluded. Ninety percent of the utilities in the tunnels must be replaced because of the salt damage.
The Positive Train Control improvements are part of a $580 million signals modernization program. "Positive Train Control is a vital part of our 'PATH Forward' plan in the coming years, and we hope our passengers understand that inconvenience now will mean an even safer and better ride in the long run,"’ said Stephen Kingsberry, PATH's director and general manager. "We are utilizing the out-of-service periods to maximize post-Sandy initiatives, installation of computerized signals, and state-of-good-repair work on our tunnels and lines."