The Future of Railways

Norfolk Southern’s new autonomous system was developed by the company’s

track inspection group, which is part of the Engineering Department.

In order to find commercially available products to build its system, Norfolk

Southern partnered with companies in the defense industry.

Down below are some of the key features of the new autonomous system:

 Hardware components include lasers, gyros, accelerometers, and global

positioning system sensors
 Can detect defects or anomalies in track geometry such as track gauge,
the distance between rails, and the elevation and curvature of the track
 Can transmit inspection data wirelessly to office locations to maintenance
personnel and track geometry engineers

Norfolk Southern said the new system will complement data gathered from
testing involving manned track geometry cars and hi-rail trucks.
Following this initial testing phase, the company said it plans to increase the
number of locomotives featuring the system as well as expanding its
capabilities to include an optical system to detect track components such as
fasteners, rail welds, and switch points.
You can watch this video for more information about Norfolk Southern’s new
track-inspection system.
 

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