CBTC: A Way to Save the Decaying New York City Subway

Transportation Solutions

Abdul Imtiaz, Yulin Liu, Sadia Supti

Professor Maryam Alikhani

Writing for Engineering

The City College of New York

November 26, 2018

 

Introduction

        With over 8 million people living within its borders, New York City is the most populated city in the US (US Census Bureau, 2018). People within the city need to travel regularly from borough to borough for daily activities. Since the city’s public transit system is so accessible, most opt to use it over cars.

On an average weekday, New York City’s subway exceeds 5 million passengers every day (MTA, n.d.-a). With 6,418 subway cars running on its 665 miles of track (MTA, n.d.-b), management of the subway is no small feat. Indeed, mismanagement, along with other factors, has contributed to the decline of the New York City Subway (Fitzsimmons, LaForgia, & Rosenthal, 2017). Our city’s transit had once been the subject of envy among many major cities  As New Yorkers who use the subway, it is in our best interest, as well as millions of other New Yorkers, to stop its decline and get it up to par again.

Executive Summary

        The New York City Subway is plagued with various problems stemming from its outdated signal system. As the subway is an integral part of the city, these problems cannot be ignored. We plan to solve many of these issues by implementing a signaling system known as communications-based train control. The new system will allow trains to run more frequently and at faster speeds. It will also remove the need for trains to slow down near work zones while increasing worker safety. It will cost about $20 billion in total over 10 years, however, our previous projects speak for themselves and we will work as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Statement of the Problem

The New York City Subway lags behind other subways in major cities in many areas, including efficiency and timeliness (Fitzsimmons et al., 2017). According to Fitzsimmons et al., there are many causes to these problems, including outdated equipment, lack of proper funding, and policy decisions. Much of the signal system used by the MTA dates back to the 1930s, and policy decisions led governors to focus on station makeovers instead of improving the outdated infrastructure (Fitzsimmons et al., 2017). The subway has deteriorated to the point that Governor Cuomo declared the MTA to be in a state of emergency (Fitzsimmons, 2017a).

Some of the subway signaling equipment is so old that they must be custom-built by the MTA, as the parts are unavailable for purchase (Mahler, 2018). Because the system is so antiquated, it is unable to relay the exact location of trains, as well as regulate speed precisely (mtainfo, 2015). These limitations prevent trains from running more quickly and frequently, because a large buffer zone must be maintained between each train. Furthermore, faulty signals force train operators to slow down well below the speed limit, or they may face penalization as a result of triggering one of these faulty signal (Pearce, 2018).

Another problem that arises from the outdated equipment is inadequate worker safety and attempts to mitigate the resulting danger to workers by slowing down trains. In 2007, after two track worker deaths attributable to human error and negligence, the MTA put into place new rules regarding train operation in work zones in an attempt to increase worker safety (Pearce, 2018). Pearce reports that these rules require trains to slow down to less than 10 miles per hour while running on a track adjacent to tracks where work is taking place. These “slow zones” typically reduce a track’s capacity from 28 trains per hour to 18 trains per hour (Cafiero & Leader, 2015). Although these changes are well-intentioned, and safety is paramount, they do not solve the problems that caused the deaths, which were the negligence and error of humans. The MTA uses the old-fashioned method of flagging, which depends on a designated individual known as a flagman, to watch for oncoming trains (Pearce, 2018). However, this method leaves much to be desired in terms of fallibility, as well as efficiency.

As far as the state of the subway has declined, it is imperative that it be rescued. Much of the city’s success is tied with its interconnectedness. For New York City residents who do not have a personal vehicle, the subway provides them with an alternative that can take them from one end of the city to another at a flat rate. This allows businesses to cater to a much larger base of consumers, as well as make real estate located near subway stations much more attractive. What would Times Square and the Manhattan Mall, which is directly connected to the subway, be without the people provided transport to it by the subway? How different would the city be if Midtown Manhattan was a so-called “subway desert”? The fate of the city is closely intertwined with that of the subway. If the people of New York City are the city’s blood, the subway is its veins

Objectives

The goal of this project is to address the major, solvable problems that are affecting the operation of the subway due to its outdated signaling system. This will be done through the implementation of communications-based train control.

Plan of Action

1.                   Signal Improvement

A remedy to many of these issues caused by the outdated signaling system is communications-based train control (CBTC). CBTC is a signaling system that allows train operators to identify the location and control the speed of trains more precisely than they can under the current system (mtainfo, 2015). CBTC functions through transponders installed on both train cars and the tracks they run on (mtainfo, 2015). According to mtainfo’s video, whenever the train passes over a transponder on the track, information about the train is relayed to the system. This enables a moving block system to be used, which allows trains to be safely run with a smaller buffer zone between them (Fitzsimmons, 2017b), which means trains can run more frequently. CBTC systems are also either waterproof or easily removed (Regional Plan Association, 2014). This allows the MTA to save on maintenance costs in the aftermath of a natural disaster by reducing the damage done to the subway.

       Figure 1:  Fixed block signaling vs. moving block signaling (Ali, 2015)

1.                Changes in Worker Safety Policy and Procedures

With the implementation of CBTC to improve train speeds and controls, safety protocols can also be updated to allow maximum efficiency, as well as better safety. Instead of workers depending on flagger to notify train operators that they are entering a slow zone and warning workers of approaching trains, workers can be given receivers that will notify them if a train is approaching and give them ample time to move to safety. This will remove the risk that comes from designating an inattentive or incapable flagger to watch for oncoming trains.

 

Management Plan

        Manual labor will be required to install new equipment. The project will also heavily depend on the expertise of electrical and computer engineers, as well as computer scientists. Total labor costs are projected to be $8 billion, while the new equipment is projected to cost $12 billion, bringing the total cost of the project to $20 billion over the span of 10 years.

Conclusion

        Transportation Solutions has revitalized many subway systems that were on the brink of ruin, including the Mass Transit Railway in Hong Kong and the Los Angeles Metro Rail, which both run on schedule over 99% of the time (Fitzsimmons et al., 2017). The city that never sleeps should not have a subway on the brink of death. With our help, New York City’s subway will be revitalized and prepared to handle the ever-growing population of the city.

Our team members can be contacted as follows:

•         Abdul Imtiaz: aimtiaz000@citymail.cuny.edu (email)
•         Yulin Liu: liuyulin0521@gmail.com (email)
•         Sadia Supti: sadiasupti198@gmail.com (email)

References

Ali, A. M. (2015, September 19). Fixed block signaling vs. moving block signaling. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/moving-block-vs-fixed-signalling-which-better-naeem-ali

Cafiero, P. & Leader, J. (2015, May). NYCT Subway Performance. Retrieved from http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/docs/150518_SubwayPerformance.pdf

Fitzsimmons, E. G. (2017a, June 29). Cuomo Declares a State of Emergency for New York City Subways. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/nyregion/cuomo-declares-a-state-of-emergency-for-the-subway.html

Fitzsimmons, E. G. (2017b, May 1) Key to Improving Subway Service in New York? Modern Signals. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/nyregion/new-york-subway-signals.html

Fitzsimmons, E. G., LaForgia, M., & Rosenthal, B. M. (2017, November 18). How Politics and Bad Decisions Starved New York’s Subways. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/18/nyregion/new-york-subway-system-failure-delays.html

Mahler, J. (2018, January 3). The Case for the Subway. The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/magazine/subway-new-york-city-public-transportation-wealth-inequality.html

MTA (n.d.-a). Introduction to Subway Ridership. Retrieved from http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ridership/

MTA (n.d.-b). Subways. Retrieved from http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffsubway.htm

mtainfo. (2015, July 20). CBTC: Communications-Based Train Contro

Pearce, A. (2018, May 9). How 2 M.T.A. Decisions Pushed the Subway Into Crisis. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/09/nyregion/subway-crisis-mta-decisions-signals-rules.html

US Census Bureau. (2018, May 24). Census Bureau Reveals Fastest-Growing Large Cities. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/estimates-cities.html