Railway Track & Structures - October 2008 - (Page 40)

there’s a biological, chemical, etc., issue in the tunnels, it will signal the train to stop before it gets to the area of the incident. We are looking at this system.” Greater Cleveland RTA “About 1.5 years ago, I was on a Transportation Research Board panel evaluating various projects,” said Pamela McCombe, director of safety for Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. “One project was the ProTran trackworker warning device. I requested that I become part of a team of people to evaluate and that Greater Cleveland RTA become a test agency. We became part of the testing of that device both on vehicles and in the field. Currently, we’re past the testing stage of field units and are implementing them. When crews set up a work zone, they use this device. We are looking at funding for train-mounted ProTracker.” “Anything that backs up a flagger is an advantage,” said Dan Collins, director of power. “We’re not trying to eliminate the flagger, just provide support. Anything we can do to protect the people in the field is always a first priority. We’re open to any new technologies that can help us in safety.” Cleveland RTA has 35 miles of double track and operates about 20 LRV trains and 30 HRV trains every day. GCRTA is working with ProTran on using the system for security, as well as safety. The units could be hooked up to chemical release detectors in the tunnels to warn trains before they get into the danger area. Vehicle-mounted ProTracker under test in Maryland. enough time to do something else while they’re working or inspecting track or whatever. We’re happy with the times.” Part of the reason MTA is waiting until mid-October is the training program, which is very extensive. “We emphasize several times in the training program that individuals are still responsible for their own safety,” Davis said. “That’s so people don’t get complacent, which our safety people and others were worried about. “We’ve developed SOPs before anyone goes out on the track such as answering questions about whether they’re wearing the armband, whether it’s on, etc.,” he said. “It’s adding a good layer of protection, but it’s not completely passive. “In today’s world, we’re also concerned about biological or chemical events,” Davis said. “ProTran is coming up with a box to hook up with the detection system in the tunnels that will actually alert the train. If an alert goes out that LA MTA Los Angeles MTA recently completed testing on its Green Line trains with positive results and started Gold Line testing the week of Septemer 15. So far, the train units don’t seem to have any issues, officials say. The only concerns or changes so far seem to be with changing the sounder tone and slight LED display changes. One operator requested a voice annunciation instead of the sounder on the train unit. It appears that if the agency does go with this type of system, it will be necessary to have the armband modified and streamlined to its specs. Technology “After building prototypes that we tested in Boston, we approached the Federal Transit Administration and NTSB. MTA in Maryland and RTA in Cleveland jumped aboard,” said Peter Bartek, director of technology for ProTran1. “In meeting agencies all over the U.S., as well as the Swiss railway and other European railroads, we decided that we needed a full business model, with training, ” Bartek said. “We met with linemen, operators, track workers and so on. Then we came up with a business model and technology for a secondary warning to fit in with existing procedures. We built a system that could be easily implemented with existing systems because otherwise agencies would reject it. We developed a product that was basically user friendly, reliable, easily implementable into existing procedures. We also worked with the National Transit Institute and IEEE to develop a complete training program. “Once we did our research, the first issue to address was track workers wanted something they could set up so they would not need to rely on others,” Bartek noted. “They said we need a machine that, when we turn it on, will provide 40 Railway Track & Structures October 2008 www.rtands.com http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track & Structures - October 2008

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