Assessment of the Business Case for Communications-Based Train Control Federal Transit Administration.

摘要

This study examines the retrofit of Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) on two North American transit properties, namely New York City Transit (NYCT) and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), with the objective of assessing the benefits realized and implementation challenges experienced. The study validates broader industry experience that CBTC offers benefits that cannot be achieved with prior generations of signaling technology. The study also highlights that the challenges in upgrading the signaling/train control systems on an existing high-capacity mass transit system should not be underestimated. To this end, the study recommends that an increased emphasis on a Systems Engineering process be adopted throughout the life-cycle of a CBTC upgrade project. This study provides transit agencies contemplating a CBTC upgrade program with a better understanding of CBTC technology, as well as a tool to assist in the planning, business case development, and management of CBTC projects.