ETC technologies act as a driver assist mechanism, alerting the train crew to danger and, at their highest functionality, slowing or stopping a train to prevent a collision or derailment. This development is a result of recommendations by the Transport Safety Board (TSB) for the implementation for these types of systems; and recommendations put forth within the 2018 Review of the Railway Safety Act.
The ETC Program is coordinated through the Railway Association of Canada (RAC) to jointly develop, with the industry, the Standards and Interface Control Documents (ICDs) to support interoperability of the ETC systems developed or procured by Canadian Railway Operators. Interoperability is required so that ETC systems, or components, from different Railway Operators can connect and exchange information; thus, allowing a tenant Railway Operator or foreign locomotive to provide ETC functions. The ETC systems deployed by different Railway Operators are expected to vary in supported functions and equipment.
It is recognized within this ETC Program that system requirements, standards, ICDs etc. developed within this program would benefit from being reviewed by potential Vendors of train control systems and components to reasonably confirm, to the extent possible, that they do not:
- unnecessarily preclude the use of proven systems or components; or
- contain requirements that result in extensive unnecessary changes to proven systems or components that will significantly increase costs.
The objectives of the Vendor Engagement Process are to circulate the developed technical documents to potential Vendors for feedback, while protecting the proprietary and confidentiality aspects of these documents.
This Vendor Engagement Process will not approve Vendors for, or exclude them from, future procurement processes conducted by Participating Railways.
Vendors who are interested in participating in the Vendor Engagement Process should download, and respond, to the Request for Information.
The initial review of Vendors’ submissions will start on Monday July 18, 2022, and this initial review will cover all submissions received by the RAC by end of day July 15, 2022. Subsequent reviews will be done on a quarterly basis, at the end of each calendar quarter, for any additional future submissions received.