Association of American Railroads Points The Way Forward For Automated Track Inspection
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
Association of American Railroads
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Automated track inspection has been a hot topic of discussion for at least a couple of years, even though some form of the technology has been around for decades.
The current debate centers around whether automated inspection is as good as visual inspection, as well as the notion that the more we perform automated inspection, the less we’ll need visual inspection and, as some argue, the demand for visual inspectors will drop and jobs will be lost.
When the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), issues these “waivers,” the agency is allowing some percentage of required visual track inspections to be “waived” and automated inspection, officially known as Automated Track Geometry Measurement Systems (ATGMS) to be substituted in certain cases or territories. These waivers apply to certain carriers and territories, and have a time limit, but none of the waivers are unlimited meaning that automated inspection can totally replace visual inspection for any length of time.
In April of this year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) officially petitioned the FRA to expand visual inspection waivers. The AAR says “with this request, railroads are seeking to incorporate an integrated track inspection regime that strategically combines Automated Track Inspection (ATI) –– a rail safety technology –– with visual inspections to facilitate more proactive maintenance practices that improve public safety and ensure more efficient railroad operations that better serve the railroads’ customers. With mischaracterizations circulating in the public debate, it’s important to understand what ATI is, how it enhances safety, and what the rail industry is proposing.”
AAR goes on to point out that rail is the safest mode of ground transportation and the industry “continues to invest in both mature and promising technologies to drive even stronger safety outcomes today and in the future.” ATI systems have been part of the FRA’s track safety program for more than 30 years, and most in the railroad industry believe use of these systems improve safety.
AAR stresses that “railroads are not seeking to replace visual inspections. Rather, carriers aim to integrate ATI with manual inspections in a way that puts inspectors and technology where they’re most effective –– a modern, data-driven approach designed to catch more issues sooner and further reduce risk.”
AAR points out some specific features that enhance safety:
- “Using lasers and cameras mounted to locomotives or rail cars, ATI inspects track at speed as trains move across the network. This enables railroads to:
- Identify defects invisible to the human eye;
- Access track structural performance under the load of a train, which manual inspections cannot replicate;
- Gather data that can be analyzed for patterns or warning signs to develop a more predictive model for addressing track maintenance.“
Examples that have proven the effectiveness of ATI:
- One test showed ATI identified 200 times more defects than visual inspections.
- Another demonstrated a 90%+ reduction in unprotected FRA mainline defects when ATI was employed.
As mentioned earlier, AAR petitioned the FRA in April to implement “a blended approach to ATI systems and visual inspections. This request aims to enhance early detection and enable preventive maintenance. Once the petition is approved, railroads will be required to meet certain predetermined monthly track safety performance thresholds in order to use (or continue to use) the waiver.”
If granted, the waiver would:
- SPEED UP AND EXPAND SAFETY INSPECTIONS: By attaching ATI systems to locomotives or boxcars, railroads can inspect hundreds of thousands of track miles per year offering greater inspection accuracy and consistency while also enabling more timely maintenance and effective capital planning.
- ENHANCE WORKER SAFETY: ATI technology reduces inspectors’ exposure to risk along railroad right-of-way. Visual inspections are done by walking on and around the track or by hi-rail vehicles. FRA data shows that slip and fall incidents are the highest source of employee injury. Hi-rail vehicles operations, particularly near highway-rail grade crossings, also pose significant hazards. Integrating ATI into train movements, enables railroads to meet inspection mandates while also lowering risk to inspectors.
- INCREASE NETWORK EFFICIENCY & NETWORK CAPACITY: Blended use of ATI with visual inspections reduces the need to halt or slow down train traffic to fulfill frequent visual inspections helping keep freight moving, protecting road users and supporting our economy. Moreover, early detection and predictive modeling allow railroads to proactively schedule repairs before track defects arise, thereby limiting service disruptions.
The recent AAR statement adds the following regarding remedial action:
- Under current FRA regulations, immediate remedial action is not required when Automated Track Inspection (ATI) identifies a defect on higher-speed track. Instead, the regulations mandate that railroads verify and address multi-class defects within two calendar days of detection.
- AAR has proposed a more stringent approach, requiring that serious defects be remediated within 48 hours of detection. This would accelerate the response timeline compared to the existing regulation. For instance, if a defect is detected on a Monday morning, the current rules allow remediation by midnight Wednesday. In contrast, AAR’s proposal would move the deadline to Wednesday morning—effectively shortening the window by several hours.
- It is also important to note that when the FRA conducts inspections using its own track geometry vehicles, the delay between defect detection and railroad notification can often exceed the two-day threshold currently allowed for remediation.
Finally, AAR adds links to comments from other organizations who have an interest in ATI:
Additional Resources
- Comments from:
