Railroads will be allowed to reduce inspections and rely more on technology
5 days ago
- #federal-regulations
- #railroad-safety
- #technology-inspections
- Freight railroads can now reduce in-person track inspections and rely more on technology, as approved by the Federal Railroad Administration.
- Automated track inspection technology is considered highly effective, allowing inspections to be reduced from twice a week to once a week.
- Railroads must repair serious track defects immediately and address all defects within 24 hours.
- Unions argue that technology can miss certain problems like shifting rocks, vegetation growth, rail cracks, and rotting ties.
- Automated systems use cameras and lasers to detect track alignment issues but may miss combinations of small defects that could cause derailments.
- Railroads claim that automated systems detect symptoms of underlying problems by monitoring track geometry.
- BNSF reported that automated inspections found significantly more defects per 100 miles compared to manual inspections.
- Unions believe frequent manual inspections help inspectors become familiar with tracks, aiding in spotting subtle changes.
- Railroads argue that reducing mandated inspections allows inspectors to focus more on switches and other manual inspection areas.
- Special inspections will still be conducted after major storms or flooding to ensure track safety.