News

Signals Training Consortium Forges Ahead on Training Program

Posted December 2013

The Signals Training Consortium held its second full meeting last week, December 4-6, in Cleveland.  The consortium brings together 20 public transportation agencies and their unions from across the country to create a standardized training program for signal maintainers.

To date, four draft courses have been developed covering the introduction and overview of the signals subsystems of track circuits, switches, train stops and grade crossings.  At this productive three day meeting, consortium members:

*  Defined trainee pre-requisites for the overall training program
*  Reviewed 12 modules on Inspection and Maintenance of Signaling
    Sub-Systems
*  Continued work on troubleshooting courses, including updating
    learning objectives, defining common problems and causes and
    drafting troubleshooting scenarios
*  Decided which locations would pilot courses for track circuits,
    switches, train stops and grade crossings
*  Prepared for the next round of topics by dividing into courseware
    development teams.  Upcoming courses set for development in April
    2014 include: Overview and Orientation, Signals, and Interlocking.
    Note that the signals courses will cover positive train control.
*  Outlined suggestions on how to address the use of jumpers in the
    training program

For more information on the signals training consortium, contact Mark Dysart.