Why The Commuter Rail Trains Will Be Running Overnight

WALTHAM, MA — If you hear trains running during the night when passenger service Commuter Rail trains are not typically running along the Fitchburg Line from Boston to Ayer this month, you're not imagining things.

It's part of a federally mandated project designed to increase safety through an "Positive Train Control infrastructure installation."

In August the MBTA received a grant of $20 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration to fund the deployment of the system technology. Some $250 million was made available to agencies across the country that provide intercity passenger rail transportation, freight rail transportation, and/or commuter rail passenger transportation.

“Implementing positive train control is a critical component to upgrading the MBTA’s core infrastructure, improving its reliability and ensuring the safety of our commuter rail customers,” said Governor Charlie Baker in a statement at the time.

Congress enacted the Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA) of 2008, mandating the tech on all passenger railroads.

PTC systems are safety systems designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, derailments and movement of trains through track switches that may have been left in the incorrect position.

The tech is made up of an on-board apparatus for the locomotive controlling each train, special wayside devices, a centralized dispatch system in a back office and a communication system that links all components.

“With this federal investment, commuting in the Commonwealth will be safer than ever before,” said Sen. Edward Markey, a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in statement. “Positive Train Control technologies hold the promise of drastically reducing the risks of derailing, helping MBTA fulfill its core mission – safety. I’m proud of this investment, and look forward to continuing to fight for policies and funding that address Massachusetts’s transportation needs.”

This comes after MBTA announced at the Jan. 7 Fiscal and Management Control Board meeting that it received federal approval for its alternative schedule and sequence for implementation of its Positive Train Control Program. The approval, which was granted by the Federal Railroad Administration on Dec. 19, extends the deadline for the full PTC system deployment to December 2020.

The MBTA Commuter Rail system averages 124,000 weekday passenger trips. It is the fifth busiest commuter rail system in the United States.

Photo courtesy MBTA.