On Track
Intelligence and the rail system Vol. 114, No. 4 Print ISSN # 0033-9016, Digital ISSN # 2160-2514 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Mischa Wanek-Libman Editor mischa@sbpub.com Kyra Senese Managing Editor ksenese@sbpub.com CORPORATE OFFICES 55 Broad St 26th Fl. New York, N.Y. 10004 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. President and Chairman Jonathan Chalon Publisher Mary Conyers Production Director Nicole Cassano Art Director Aleza Leinwand Graphic Designer Maureen Cooney Circulation Director Michelle Zolkos Conference Director Customer Service: 800-895-4389 Reprints: PARS International Corp. 253 West 35th Street 7th Floor New York, NY 10001 212-221-9595; fax 212-221-9195 curt.ciesinski@parsintl.com
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very once in awhile, the industry puts out a piece of news that flies under the radar and doesn’t get the attention that I believe it deserves. Such was the case at the end of March when the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued its Broad Agency Announcements (BAA). Now, if you’re the type that pays attention or, if you attended the Annual Association of American Railroads (AAR) Research Review last month, you already know the news found in the last word of the above paragraph–announcements–plural. FRA typically has a single BAA to solicit proposals on a variety of research areas. The first 2018 BAA is just that – a general solicitation of basic and applied technology research projects that will support the strategic objectives of the Office of Research, Development and Technology and the research needs of the four FRA research divisions, which include track; rolling stock and equipment; train control and human factors. The second BAA is focused on Intelligent Railroad System Research and is restricted to university and university-led teams as qualifying applicants. As FRA explained, this BAA “solicits basic and applied research projects that can leverage the technologies and systems both developed and emerging from the intelligent transportation systems field and apply these advances to the rail industry. Such
advancements can help ensure rail safety, improve economic competitiveness and expand opportunities for the rail industry. Collectively, these technologies can begin the development of an Intelligent Railroad System.” Intelligence within systems is already permeating our lives. I had a flip phone seven years ago. I used it to make calls and send the occasional text. Today, my smartphone enables me to start my car, see who is at my front door, stream a movie, read a book, track my steps throughout the day and many other tasks all from a single device. I also use it to send texts and make the occasional call. Similar “smart” technolgy foundations have already been laid in the machinery we use to maintain our railroads, monitor our bridges and inspect our assests. The intelligence will come once we figure out how to bring all this information together. I will close with another reference to the AAR’s Annual Research Review; Union Pacific Chairman, President and CEO Lance Fritz delivered the keynote speech on the role innovation plays in the industry. He said, “The Holy Grail of knowing the status of the entire railroad, all the time isn’t 20 years away, it’s a few years away and that’s exciting.”
Mischa Wanek-Libman Editor
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April 2018 // Railway Track & Structures 3