Signal a "Go" for Caltrain Thanks to CTX Construction Project

Imagine that you drive the same two-lane highway every day, with a double-yellow line that prevents you from overtaking the snail ahead. And then one day passing lanes magically appear.

That gives you an idea of how profoundly Caltrain operations will change next year because of the CTX construction project.

Finally, after 100-plus years, passing tracks. Finally, the ability to move trains from track to track without conductors having to get off to hand-throw switches.

"This is just a quantum leap for Caltrain in increased operational flexibility," said Chief Operating Officer Chuck Harvey of the upgrades that are coming on line. "For the amount of traffic we have, this will be a tremendous change and is long overdue."

In summer 2002, work began on the $110 million CTX project, a package of upgrades and improvements that are transforming the oldest commuter railroad west of the Mississippi. A major part of the CTX program is the installation of three sections of passing tracks for "Baby Bullet" express trains, plus the completion of centralized traffic control between San Francisco and San Jose.

Together, that means the new bullet trains will be able to overtake local trains at the passing locations in Brisbane, Redwood City and Sunnyvale. But to allow for swift, smooth overtakes, Caltrain also needed a modern CTC switching and signaling system, which was only in place in limited areas along the 49-mile rail corridor, generally near the terminals in San Francisco and San Jose.

In most places, an automatic block system governs the tracks, allowing trains to proceed on one track only so long as signals tell the engineer that the track ahead is clear.

But if, for example, a train up ahead breaks down, for the train behind it to cross over to another track to go around the stalled train, the crew has to call the control tower for permission to reset manually controlled switches in order to operate on the opposite track.

Then the conductor has to get off the train and throw a switch by hand, going back to "reline" the switch after the train has crossed over, like closing a detour behind him. The same time-consuming process has to be repeated when the train crosses back over to the original track ahead of the stalled train.

And the train must operate at a reduced speed when it travels against regular traffic, causing further delays.

But with CTC, at the click of a mouse, dispatchers monitoring signal indications on their computer screens in San Jose will be able to activate switches miles away automatically, moved into alignment as if by a powerful invisible hand.

In a matter of seconds, done, without the need for radio calls between the dispatcher and the engineer.

Russ Jordan, who manages the dispatch center at Amtrak's San Jose Control Center, said one of the biggest delays now is to issue paperwork for a train movement "against the current of traffic," which has to be read to the engineer over the radio and repeated back.

Then it's another 10 minutes for crew members to line up switches to cross over and another five or 10 minutes for crossing back over.

Going against the current of traffic, we lose probably 20 minutes," Jordan said. Once CTC is in full operation, Caltrain should not be subject to paralyzing delays because of service disruptions affecting a train up ahead, since it will be much simpler for dispatchers to route following trains around.

"With the new CTC system, instead of a 'double yellow line' down the middle of our highway, we will have a dashed yellow line," Deputy Chief of Rail Operations Jerry Kirzner said, "meaning we will have the capability of passing trains. When we do have operational problems, we will be better able to recover by having trains go around one another and thereby minimize delays to most of our passengers."

This flexibility will also fast-track train rerouting when rail construction and maintenance work is being done. While delays won't be eliminated, they will be greatly reduced.

Except for the erection of twelve signal bridges straddling the tracks, the pivotal signal system work that has been going is largely invisible to passers-by. Crews also have been installing 110 stand-alone signals, plus 17 control houses packed with computer circuitry and back-up batteries.

Microprocessors relay to and from San Jose a host of information including the position of switches, the location of trains and whether tracks are clear for various train movements, according to Dave Obedoza, Caltrain's manager of signals and communications.

Green, yellow and red lights indicate to engineers when they can proceed.

The new system will provide information about which track the train will travel to at a particular switching location and at what speed, as well as indicate to the engineer that he may need to slow down in order to comfortably and safely travel through an approaching set of switches.

With CTC, dispatchers also will be able to monitor where the trains are, since their movements will be displayed on computer monitors that the dispatchers use to line routes and set signal indications. The system will give them more precise information about train locations, which adds to safety.

The CTC capability is being added incrementally, as new sections (like the first one in the Millbrae area) are completed. Locomotive engineers are already being trained for the Baby Bullet express operation's new signal system and track changes.

"We've taken the 1950s technology that Caltrain inherited and have updated it to allow for Baby Bullet service tomorrow and for high-speed operations a few years later," Obedoza said. "The installation of CTC will establish a good signal foundation for the migration to future signal systems that will be needed when train operations require an increase in the number of trains and higher speeds."