Briefcase: Jan. 2, 2021

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HOMEWOOD — Canadian National Railway announced recently that it has successfully completed the federally required interoperability testing with tenant railroads so they can operate Positive Train Control on CN’s 35 subdivisions equipped with PTC in the United States.

CN also announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has approved and certified CN’s PTC system. These achievements underscore CN’s 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,” said Rob Reilly, executive vice president and COO at CN. “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.”

PTC is a safety overlay designed to prevent certain accidents resulting from human error, such as overspeed derailments. The system can initiate a full service brake application to stop a train if the crew does not take action. It’s the largest technology program deployed in CN’s history.

CN is currently interoperable with its tenant railroads, which include the Class I railroads, Amtrak, Metra, and shortlines that are required to implement PTC. Interoperability allows a tenant railroad to move over CN’s PTC-equipped track in PTC operation.