News

Signals Training Consortium Forges Ahead on Training Program

Posted May 2014

Signals Training Consortium Members at Metro-North Training Simulator Lab

The Signals Training Consortium held its third full meeting last week, May 6-9, 2014, at Metro-North’s facility in White Plains, NY.  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 courses have been finalized covering the introduction and overview of the signals subsystems of track circuits, switches, train stops and grade crossings.  Inspection and maintenance courses for these topics have also been drafted. At this productive three day meeting, consortium members:
*  Reviewed and finalized inspection/maintenance content for current
    courses
*  Finalized troubleshooting content for current courses
*  Identified consortium locations to pilot courseware as it is completed
*  Established courseware development teams for new topics:
    orientation, interlocking and signaling
*  Worked on Learning Objectives for new courses
*  Identified ways to evaluate training long term
*  Decided on “Recommended Practices” model for Jumpers
*  Identified example module to use for Train-the-Trainer program
*  Increased OEM participation
*  Videotaped procedure for removing/replacing an operating rod
*  Identified ways of strengthening the work of the consortium

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