AAR Says Technology Has Made RRs Safer

America’s freight railroads are safer because the industry has invested an estimated $100 billion into infrastructure, equipment and technology over the past four years The Association of American Railroads said this week.

AAR issued a white paper that reported that mainline railroad accidents have declined by 32 percent over the past decade.

The paper was released as part of AAR’s RailxTech event being held in Washington.

It details how railroads are using technology to monitor more than 1.6 million rail cars and 40,000 locomotives operating across the 140,000-mile U.S. rail network.

Among the uses of technology that railroads are employing are:

• Deploying trackside detectors using infrared and lasers to identify microscopic flaws in equipment as trains pass by at track speed. This real-time assessment of infrastructure and equipment has allowed railroads to schedule and conduct proactive maintenance, which improves safety as well as network fluidity and productivity.

• Using software to analyze such factors as system-wide train schedules, speed restrictions, crew schedules and other train operations. This information helps train dispatchers manage and modify operations.

• Installation of in-cab fuel management systems has improved fuel efficiency by up to 14 percent, which has helped railroads reduce their environmental footprint. Tier 4 locomotives have reduced emissions from diesel locomotives by as much as 90 percent and will continue to be phased into rail fleets nationwide.

Tags: Association of American Railroads, railroad safety, Railroads, railroads and technology, U.S. Class 1 Railroads