Union Pacific Railroad Company submitted a petition for waiver of compliance from regulations regarding cab signal systems requirements.
Union Pacific is asking for relief to operate Positive Train Control equipped controlling locomotives with automatic cab signals cut-out. The relief would be within the PTC revenue service demonstration area on UP’s Portland Subdivision. The PTC system is installed and operative and the locomotive engineer will be present for the operation of the train with the ACS cut-out. The engineer is trained and qualified to operate PTC.
Union Pacific also noted the ACS and PTC systems are not integrated on the locomotive and feels using them concurrently would be confusing and distracting for the train crew due to the fact that the displays, audible and visual alerts, and required acknowledgment protocols are different.
Interested parties may submit comments regarding the petition until January 18, 2017.
