Railroad Technology

At a recent American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Maintenance-of-Way Association convention I met a group of civil engineering students that had selected a school with a degree program featuring a strong railroad focus. They were clearly a very bright group, and I was struck by their enthusiasm for all things railroading. Later in the day I ran into their instructor and shared my impressions. His reply amazed me. “Our students are drawn to railroading because it’s an industry with a reputation for being open to new ideas. It’s seen as a very good place to build a career in management.” Most people know railroading has come a long way from the days of steam locomotives and wooden cabooses, but how far it has progressed may surprise you. It surprises me.…

With artificial intelligence growing at breakneck speed, businesses worldwide are experimenting with drone technology. No longer just a topic for science fiction, the use of drones has expanded rapidly over the last decade in a wide range of industries, including railroading. In the 2010s, Class I railroads gradually embraced the use of drones within the operator’s sight (known as visual line of sight, or VLOS) for tasks like inspecting tracks, bridges, and other rail infrastructure. Today, drones work alongside railroad employees completing job functions that are transforming the industry into a faster, safer, and more sustainable line of work. Planting the seed Unmanned (or uncrewed) aerial vehicles (UAVs) — aka drones — are everywhere. They perform military surveillance to railroad bridge inspections to delivering packages. They can provide advanced photogrammetry,…

TO HELP AMERICA’S FREIGHT RAIL NETWORK remain functional, drones add an extra layer of accuracy, efficiency, and safety. When it comes to accuracy, BNSF’s Director of Technology Services Todd Graetz says, “We can get sub-3-millimeter resolution while we’re flying 400 feet above the tracks at 45 miles an hour, which I think is pretty amazing.” As for efficiency, he notes, “we’ve also pioneered the use of what we call our Drone in a Box technology. They’re smaller-use [drones] that we have along the right of way, in our yards, and in other remote locations.” This means operators can quickly deploy a drone when no one is on site. The data being gathered from these UAVs is primarily imagery and video. There is also a smaller subset of data collected called…

As of 2016, the aircraft used in BNSF’s history-making effort resides in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. “IT TAKES A RAILROAD TO MAKE aviation history,” says Todd Graetz, BNSF UAS cofounder. BNSF has made aviation history five times since 2015. Here’s a quick peek. 2013 BNSF begins exploring drone technology with VLOS. 2014 Operational drone program born. 2015 BNSF becomes one of three contracted research partners for the FAA’s Pathfinders Program. • BNSF has first commercial BVLOS flight. • BNSF becomes a leading member of AUVSI (the UAS industry’s most powerful advisory and advocacy organization). 2016 The first scaled/production BVLOS operations — 300+ miles, day and night, with a 150-pound drone. 2017 BNSF becomes the first Part 107 flight authority, which includes night operation and…

Big things are happening in New York. This is nothing new. But in this case, they involve remaking commuter rail boundaries that have existed for generations. That is definitely new. A trio of construction projects, among the nation’s largest public works programs, are creating new options for riders and for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. For the MTA, the options provide welcome opportunities as it explores life in a commuter rail landscape reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. The projects, two of which are now complete, are: ■ Long Island Rail Road’s Third Track, the 9.8-mile addition to the commuter road’s Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville, N.Y. The third track, which entered service in October 2022, was a key to a schedule introduced in February 2023 that saw the LIRR…

HAD THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD’S Third Track project only been what its name implies — adding a third track — it would have been complex enough. But the work over 9.8 miles between Floral Park and Hicksville, N.Y., was much more. The two existing tracks were rebuilt, and in places relocated. Five stations were reconstructed, as were electrical substations. New underpasses eliminated grade crossings. A new signal system was put in. For good measure, public utilities had to be relocated, because they also used the 66-footwide right-of-way that squeezed in the third track where there had previously been just two, along with the occasional siding. Essentially, the railroad was completely rebuilt over four years, while still continuing to run its full commuter schedule. “It was such a complex project…