As the calendar turns to a new year, the rail industry remains laser focused on improving safety and reliability, with innovation and quality at the center.

Jason Riggs, vice president of quality and technical services at Marmon Rail, believes the opportunities to enhance rail safety through new technologies are vast, paired with challenges that will undoubtedly arise. “Any time you deal with component or product failure, you’re getting into reliability,” Riggs explains. “To have a higher level of reliability, you have to be able to engineer in fail safes to keep things from failing during a known timeframe of when they should be in service.”

This focus on reliability is driving advancements in non-destructive testing (NDT) across the rail industry. “Methods are constantly being enhanced,” he says. “There are new techniques under each method, with new technology. I’ve been in this industry for more than 30 years, and in the last five or six years I’ve seen more advancement in technology than ever in my whole career. A lot of that is thanks to new artificial intelligence technology emerging,” Riggs says.  

Where Technology and Safety Meet

Building on technological advancements, safety remains a critical focus, particularly in rail yard operations. Switching, a process that requires heightened situational awareness, is supported by technological safeguards designed to reduce risk and improve efficiency.

“You don’t always hear trains,” Riggs says, noting how easily rail yard workers can be unaware of an approaching train. While the rail industry adheres to strict safety policies and procedures, human error can never be fully eliminated. As a result, technology is playing an increasingly important role in accident prevention.  

One example is the implementation of automatic kill switches on switch engines. “All of the people on the ground switching have a button pinned to them that uses wireless technology. If they see somebody in harm’s way, they can kill the locomotive from moving,” Riggs says, sharing how straightforward yet effective technology can play a big role in rail safety.

In addition to safety improvements, technology is also driving operational efficiency in rail yards. AI is being deployed to optimize train building, reducing unnecessary railcar movements. In some cases, this technology has halved the number of rail car moves, which not only enhances safety by reducing movement but also decreases energy consumption and environmental impact. “It reduces wear of your switch engines and helps keep people safe,” Riggs says.

Regulatory Challenges

The path to innovation is not without obstacles. Riggs notes the challenges of adopting new technology, in part due to prescriptive regulations and standards. With a new administration coming in, it’s possible this landscape will change and certain regulations will ease, but funding remains a key challenge. “Smaller companies don’t have the financial backing to look this far in the future, to even start that path,” Riggs says.

In this regard, partnerships and advocacy are key for the rail industry. Nexxiot, a technology provider for the rail industry, is collaborating with the RailPulse Coalition to drive positive change. “With close engagement from the private sector, organizations like the American Association of Railroads (AAR) and the RSI Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) are being urged to review and ratify proven technologies that can help the industry to reclaim market share from other transport modalities and facilitate a more flexible and robust supply chain,” says Ken Mannka, vice president North America at Nexxiot. “Success lies in delivering innovative solutions to an industry that has traditionally lagged behind other supply chain sectors. Rail leaders are now actively adopting technology to improve visibility, efficiency, and safety, while delivering a superior customer experience.”

Strength in Numbers

Riggs believes the RSI community is uniquely positioned to drive innovations forward. “You look at the diversity of the RSI membership—we have all the component suppliers for rail car, rolling stock, locomotives, track, signaling and electronics, and everything else that makes the rail industry work.” By bringing this group of experts together, RSI can facilitate collaboration needed to overcome regulatory hurdles and implement new safety-enhancing technologies.

While the industry navigates an uncertain landscape, the need for innovation and quality has never been more pressing. By embracing emerging technologies, prioritizing worker safety, and leveraging the collective expertise of the RSI community, the rail industry can chart a course toward a more reliable, sustainable, and secure future.

As a member-led organization, RSI is rebranding its Quality Assurance Committee, focusing on innovation and the ways technology is already helping increase the quality of railcars and their components. Those interested in joining can contact RSI Staff Member Jeffrey Ostrander at jostrander@rsiweb.org.     

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Inside this Issue

• Message from the President
• CPC-1362: The Road to Facility Certification is Paved with Good Intentions
• Q&A with RSI QAC
• AAR Task Force for the Volumetric Determination of Tank Cars
• Useful Links

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