railroad technology

Parallel Systems tests autonomous rail vehicle technology 

Autonomous rail vehicle company Parallel Systems says it has publicly demonstrated how its rail vehicles connect with each other via bumper to bumper at its test track in Southern California. 

This connection is the one of the first steps toward putting multiple rail vehicles together and creating platoons of up to 50 rail vehicles. Each rail vehicle functions like a rail car: A container sits on two robotlike vehicles with train wheels. Parallel Systems has said the technology would enable rail...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/parallel-systems-tests-autonomous-rail-vehicle-technology

Wabtec joins rail telematics market

Pittsburgh-headquartered Wabtec has signed an agreement with Dutch company Intermodal Telematics to produce telematics technology for rail cars.

Wabtec, a rail technology provider, says the product could be ready in the first quarter of 2024. Wabtec (NYSE: WAB) will use Intermodal Telematics’ technology to create the rail car telematics offering.

The telematics technology enables rail car owners and operators to access real-time data to see the location and status of individual rail cars and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/wabtec-joins-rail-telematics-market

Parallel Systems readies 2nd-gen autonomous rail vehicle for test runs

Parallel Systems unveiled Tuesday another second-generation, battery-powered autonomous rail vehicle, which is slated for use in pilot projects both in the U.S. and abroad.

Through this iteration of the autonomous rail vehicle, Los Angeles-based Parallel Systems will be looking at how its autonomous rail vehicle performs with the broader rail network. It said it is developing tools and software so that companies can operate Parallel Systems’ vehicles from their existing dispatching and train...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/parallel-systems-readies-2nd-gen-autonomous-rail-vehicle-for-test-runs

Norfolk Southern invests $8M in real-time visibility technology

Eastern U.S. Class I railroad Norfolk Southern has invested $8 million in a joint venture with technology platform provider DrayNow to develop a technology for intermodal that the companies say will “improve customer and drayage driver experience, enhance supply chain transparency and increase network fluidity.”

The offering will utilize and build upon DrayNow’s existing app that provides real-time information on the first and last mile, including shipment tracking and document capture of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/norfolk-southern-invests-8m-in-real-time-visibility-technology

G&W short lines want to test autonomous rail vehicle technology

Two Georgia subsidiaries of short line operator Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) are seeking permission from the Federal Railroad Administration to test zero-emissions, autonomous rail vehicle technology developed by Parallel Systems.

The two subsidiaries, Georgia Central Railway (GC) and Heart of Georgia Railroad (HOG), filed a petition with FRA on Thursday. GC spans 211 miles between the Port of Savannah and Macon, Georgia, and it interchanges with eastern U.S. Class I railroads CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/gw-short-lines-want-to-test-autonomous-rail-vehicle-technology

Lack of information sharing, integration impedes railroad industry R&D

Although February’s train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, has renewed calls to bolster railroad safety, the rail industry needs to be more proactive about how research and development efforts can advance the utilization of freight rail and encourage the railroads to think across departments, sources told FreightWaves.

The factors that play into what gets public and private dollars for research can be complex. One issue is that some topics, such as train crew size and train length, have...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/lack-of-information-sharing-integration-impedes-railroad-industry-rd

Autonomous rail vehicle maker outlines next steps

FreightWaves recently chatted with Matt Soule, co-founder and CEO of Parallel Systems, a company that seeks to build an autonomous rail option. The company’s goal is to develop autonomous rail vehicles that would be deployed in a platoon of rail vehicles. This platoon would not hook up with locomotives or conventional freight trains, although it would utilize the existing rail infrastructure. 

Parallel Systems has made an autonomous rail vehicle, but its goal is to produce multiple vehicle and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/autonomous-rail-car-maker-outlines-next-steps

Norfolk Southern will assess use of hot box detectors 

Norfolk Southern has developed a safety plan the railroad says addresses the preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the Feb. 3 derailment of an NS train near East Palestine, Ohio.

NTSB investigators are looking at the role that overheated bearings might have played in the train derailment.

“Reading the NTSB report makes it clear that meaningful safety improvements require a comprehensive industry effort that brings together railcar and tank car...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/norfolk-southern-will-assess-use-of-hot-box-detectors

Rail Roundup: August Class I headcount, Patriot Rail and New York short line acquisitions

A man is next to railroad track at a rail yard.August Class I railroad headcount levels rise to their highest since December 2020

The number of workers employed by the U.S. operations of the Class I railroads is at its highest since December 2020, although totals are still below pre-pandemic levels, according to data from the Surface Transportation Board.

Headcount totaled 117,014 employees in August, a nearly 2.3% gain from August 2021 and a 0.5% increase from July 2022.

The train and engine category, which is more sensitive to changes in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rail-roundup-august-class-i-headcount-patriot-rail-and-new-york-short-line-acquisitions

What North American freight rail can learn from Europe

The European Union has an ambitious goal to increase rail’s share in freight transportation to 30% by 2030 in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To do this, the Europeans are seeking to integrate technological advances and develop inland port infrastructure that would support more freight rail volumes. 

As the Europeans undergo these efforts, the North American freight rail system will have lots of opportunities to learn from their European counterparts, according to two partners with...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/what-north-american-freight-rail-can-learn-from-europe

+ More