MBTA to install PTC on Lowell commuter-rail line

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) early next month will kick off a series of weekend shutdowns on its Lowell commuter-rail line to install positive train control (PTC).

The agency will close the line on weekends from Aug. 5 through Oct. 1, MBTA officials said in a press release late last week. Shuttle buses will replace trains during the closures.

The MBTA's PTC installation began the weekend of July 8 on the Newburyport/Rockport Line, agency officials said in a press release.

The agency plans to meet the federal mandate to install the technology no later than December 31, 2020, according to the MBTA's website.

The MBTA in December 2015 hired Ansaldo STS USA Inc. to provide a PTC system for the agency's commuter-rail network. The contract includes design, integration, installation, testing, commissioning, training and warranty.