# Denver RTD Works to Avert FRA Shutdown of A and B Lines



## PRR 60 (Oct 29, 2016)

The ongoing issue with malfunctioning grade crossing protection is coming to a head. It's hard to believe that systems that are tried and true on railroads around the world are seemingly unfixable on these two brand new lines.

from the Denver Post, 10/28/16:



> Regional Transportation District officials met with federal railroad officials in Washington on Friday with what they hope is a plan that finally spells out a fix to the much-criticized crossings at intersections along the University of Colorado A-Line, and in turn, averts a possible shutdown of the heavily used line to Denver International Airport.
> 
> While regulators at the Federal Railroad Administration havent specifically threatened to suspend service on the A-Line over crossing gates that arent operating correctly, the agency told The Denver Post in a statement Friday that RTD must develop a plan that demonstrates to FRA it has a path forward toward a solution to resolve the timing issues at the crossings.


The full story is HERE.


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## CHamilton (Oct 29, 2016)

During the NARP tour of the RTD shops a couple of weeks ago, a couple of things came out about this.


They are trying to use PTC to do more than what it's generally designed to do in other places. The software is, therefore, more complex, and there have been bugs.
There is a disagreement between the FRA, which wants longer closing times at crossings, and the state utilities commission, which wants them shorter (so as to block highways less). 
It will be interesting to see how this comes out.


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## MattW (Oct 29, 2016)

So can anyone provide a high-level description of how the RTD's PTC is tied in with the grade crossings? Does it use the same block-occupancy data that PTC uses?


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## neroden (Oct 30, 2016)

The FRA is operating outside of its authority. FRA causes trouble again?...

"RTD’s crossing problems, in which gates close too early and stay down too long because of a software glitch, have required that the agency operate under a waiver from the Federal Railroad Administration"

I understand that *CPUC* wants the gates closing for less time. Which is understandable, but nothing to do with the FRA. The FRA should say "well, the gates are operating safely, you're approved".


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## PRR 60 (Nov 3, 2016)

FRA granted Denver RTD a 90 extension of the safety rule waiver thus averting a shutdown of the A and B commuter rail lines. Flaggers will remain until the grade crossing problems are fixed.

From the Denver Post, 11/3/16:



> The more than 20,000 daily passengers who ride the University of Colorado A-Line to the airport and the B-Line to Westminster won’t be stranded by a shutdown of both commuter rail lines this weekend after federal regulators on Wednesday gave the Regional Transportation District a 90-day extension to address deficiencies with crossing arms.
> 
> RTD faced a possible suspension of service on both lines Saturday, which the Federal Railroad Administration had set as a deadline for fixing the timing of gates at multiple at-grade crossings along the 23-mile A-Line and 6.2-mile B-Line.


The full story is HERE.


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## neroden (Nov 9, 2016)

I found the missing detail. The FRA is allowing flaggers to operate instead of *sounding the horns*. The crossings are all legal to operate across, but in order to have *quiet zone* certification they have to fix them. This is what the federal waiver is about.


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## PRR 60 (Nov 10, 2016)

neroden said:


> I found the missing detail. The FRA is allowing flaggers to operate instead of *sounding the horns*. The crossings are all legal to operate across, but in order to have *quiet zone* certification they have to fix them. This is what the federal waiver is about.


The crossings, as presently in operation, do not meet FRA requirements. The series of waivers requested by RTD and granted by FRA are to permit non-compliant operation of the A and B Lines subject to conditions proposed by RTD and approved by FRA. One of those conditions is that flaggers be present at all crossings. Also, Quiet Zones cannot be established until the crossings meet FRA requirements and final operating authority is granted by FRA. All trains are sounding horns at the crossings, even in areas that are in the proposed Quiet Zones.

I attached the original RTD request for the FRA waiver that pretty much explains what is going on. The original waiver request was for 90 days (starting 4/22/16). The follow-on waivers now permit operation until early February, 2017.

RTD_Fastracks_Eagle_P3_-Waiver_Request.pdf


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## neroden (Nov 11, 2016)

Bluntly, the crossings as built and operated do meet FRA regulatory requirements, and are in fact safer than most other crossings in the US. If the horns are sounded. This is why I was scratching my head about "FRA waivers", which sounded like arrant nonsense.

You'll notice that they're struggling to come up with a regulation which is violated, because they aren't actually violating any specific safety regulation; the letter says "the rule or standard which would best apply to the waiver request", but they're stretching, because they don't actually need a waiver. The only regulation being violated is that the safety system isn't working as designed. It is, however, working safely.

Obviously since they intend to make quiet zones, they're going to go along with the FRA. If they ever give up on the attempt to implement constant warning time, however, they could simply sound the horns, file some paperwork stating that the system is not intended to have constant warning time and that that's the new system design, and the crossings would be legit. The FRA really is not in a position to shut them down and if they tried, RTD could go to court over it.


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## Hotblack Desiato (Nov 18, 2016)

When I was on the A line last month, I was on one train that entered the crossing while the gates were still in the process of coming down (flaggers were present, however).

I don't know how often that happens.


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## PRR 60 (Nov 18, 2016)

Hotblack Desiato said:


> When I was on the A line last month, I was on one train that entered the crossing while the gates were still in the process of coming down (flaggers were present, however).
> 
> I don't know how often that happens.


FRA will not provide final authorization for the line to operate until every crossing operates properly every time for one week. That means meeting the requirements for both minimum and maximum advance times for protection operation. A crossing that operates a minute too soon, or operates with no train approaching is in violation just as a crossing that operates too late or fails to operate at all.

Until RTD can sort out the crossing operation and timing problems and get the system to operate in compliance with the FRA requirements, the line is operating under an FRA safety regulation waiver. RTD has hired a new consultant - HNTB - to try and finally sort this mess out.

One item from personal experience - there are not a lot of signal engineers who have a good handle of how to handle system design when there are high electric fields, as there would be on an electrified railroad. Induced currents and voltages from power lines can cause all kinds of havoc with track circuits and signal system hardware. It has become more of an issue with modern, solid-state signal equipment that can fail or provide unexpected results that would not effect old electo-mechanical equipment (I found that out the hard way). I'm not saying that is the issue here, but I've seen it happen often enough, that when signals start to misbehave and there are electo-magnetic fields affecting the line, I get suspicious.


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