Friday, June 24, 2016

Use of Drones in the Railroad Industry


Railroads are among the networks that joins the country’s different parts together. When natural disaster’s strike, railroads can be at risk. This may happen due to storms, earthquakes or due to the floods that engulf railroads altogether. In such situations, it becomes impossible to figure out which part of the railroad is actually damaged and needs to be repaired and which sections are safe for transport. Due to the challenges faced by railroad officials in charge of determining the damages and safety of the tracks, drones are now finding their way into the railroad industry. Drones are capable of gathering information about railroads faster and more accurately. Drones are capable of providing safety to the railroad industry in the following ways:

·         Giving video feeds ahead of the journey on the railroads
·         Giving information about the condition of the rail bridges
·         Accumulation of the debris on the railroad or the base of the bridge that can damage the bridge and make it unsafe for the trains to over them.

BNSF Railways, one of the largest railroad networks in the country, has been working with the FAA to explore the possibility of the use of drones in carrying out surveys and assessments for the trains to continue on their routes in an uninterrupted way.

Generally, all these works of keeping an eye on the condition of the railroads was the responsibility of the rail employees who would put their lives in danger to help the trains move safely.
There are not only the natural elements like earthquakes and floods that can damage the rails, but extreme heat in the seasons that experience high temperatures during summers can cause expansion of the railroads, whereas the temperature drops in the winters may cause the railroads to contract causing the cracks in the railroads. In addition to this, if there is snowfall and extreme cold conditions persist sending the officials for the inspection of the railroads to ensure safe passage of trains is very risky and there is always a danger to the lives of the rail officials.

However, with the use of drones in carrying out the inspection work the risk of endangering the lives of the officials is eliminated. Drones give the exact picture of what the condition in the field is and makes it possible for authorities to make prompt decisions and bring about the change in the route of the trains.

Drones carry out all the inspection work in any type of condition regardless of how harsh it is, and sends the data to the inspector who can use the data to identify any defects in the railroads. Thus, the lives of the officials are not put at risk when it comes to gathering critical data about the condition of the railroads. Moreover, the freight trains can also run without any fear of loss or accidents.

In closing, drones are making their way into all types of industries and the railroad industry is no exception. The ability to quickly and efficiently capture data in unsafe conditions makes drones a very feasible alternative to physically sending railroad officials into dangerous situations.





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