The railroad industry does not conjure up high-technology images for most people, but it takes a lot more to keep the trains running on schedule these days than a few guys shoveling coal into a furnace.
It only stands to reason that technology plays a major role in keeping things operational for an industry trusted with moving people and cargo across the United States. If something goes wrong with a train while it is in transit, the best-case scenario can be a slight delay. The worst-case scenario is an incident that could be damaging to both the railroad and its customers.
Many railroads operate a series of sensors and audio devices spaced about 20 to 40 miles apart along their tracks to monitor wheel heat and bearing sounds -- great indicators of possible wheel failures that can lead to disaster. The railroad can send these signals back to a datacenter via a network of fiber optic cables that run along the tracks. Systems in the datacenters crunch the sensor data to determine if a wheel is on the verge of failure and to take any necessary action.
The big problem is that a lot can happen between far-flung sensors and between the sensors and the datacenter. Some data-blind spots could be addressed with more sophisticated real-time data collection systems.
There are two main obstacles to real-time monitoring of connected devices on a railroad. The first is battery life; there just isn't enough of it right now to make real-time, always-on wireless sensors worth the investment. But with constant improvement in battery technology, it's just a matter of time before that mountain becomes a molehill.
Railroads also face an obstacle in connecting sensors. Most systems rely on a series of sensors mounted great distances from one another on the side of the track. The railroad gets an intermittent snapshot of what the wheels and bearings are doing as the trains pass by each sensor. A wireless sensor positioned on the actual wheel would be a more effective solution, allowing the railroad to monitor the wheels continuously and to report instantly when a wheel or bearing is in danger of failure.
There is another challenge: Assuming the railroads could get wireless sensors in place on every wheel, they would then need to focus on getting all that sensor data back to the datacenter. One option would be for the railroads to build their own wireless networks to gather sensor data continuously along the tracks, using fiber networks to backhaul signals to datacenters. But this presents some additional issues, since not all tracks are owned by the same railroad company. It is common, for instance, for a train from one company to travel on tracks from others. Multiple companies would have to work together to share data from their networks.
Problems with implementing the Internet of Things are not unique to railroads. Still, the railroads are in a slightly more advantageous position, since they already have part of the necessary infrastructure in place. If the railroads jump on this opportunity, they could inspire other industries to follow.
I have an friend who is a yard engineer. He rarely gets into the locomotive. Instead, he uses a wireless remote control system. It is defintely strange to see a train move by you without anyone in it.
I think solar intergration will play a role in a lot of these types of sensors. Its getting cheap enough and easy enough to work it into designs of any sensors that will be exposed to the sun to help extend their life.
As for data volume, I think that really depends on what kind of data the railroad decides to collect, It could vary from a very small amount to massive amounts of data, that is something that will just need to be worked out.
Its impressive to see technology doing good in the road transportation industry as well. Air transportation is like a leader in technology and it is doing good to society as is the road transport system. Therefore, technology needs to be as good in road transportation as in the air tranport sector.
The metro-trains around the globe are a perfect example of incorporating technology. They never get late, they rarely face malfunctioning problems and they are monitored through wireless too. Why is railroads arent upto that mark ?
It only makes sense that railroads would incorportate technology. While the average person doesn't give much thought to what seems and "old-fashioned" transportation system, just remember our current time zones were developed because of the early railroads when time needed to be standardized to keeps the trains on schedule as they crossed the country.
Lots of money was made by inventors of such things as railroad braking systems (George Westinghouse), and the sleeping car (George Pullman). There's still money to be made in railroad technology for the lucky entrepreneur.
I didnt knew time zones were a by-product of railway schedules. Thanks for improving my GK. As long as people need the system, improvements will be made and technology usage will be put in. Metro-trains are a good example.
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