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5/31/2017

Railway Equipment Co.: Track switch winter protection technology

Within the last three years, Boston encountered the fifth and sixth largest snowstorms in history. Massive storms proved to be operationally challenging and greatly disrupted public transit on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
 
As part of a winter resiliency plan, the MBTA has partnered with Railway Equipment Co. and Keolis Commuter Services to install gas hot air track switch heater systems and fiberglass covers at critical track switches throughout the commuter rail system.

All of the new systems include Railway Equipment's Sno-Net® remote monitoring system, which monitors individual track switch heaters and local conditions. Data is sent directly to management and maintenance personnel via a web portal and email notifications.  

Through the web portal, authorized individuals are able to control the track switch heaters as if they were on-site, reducing the need for field visits during adverse winter conditions. Remote monitoring also allows MBTA management to perform predictive and preventive maintenance along with root cause analysis on individual units within the rail system, Railway Equipment officials said in a press release.

In addition, Railway Equipment's Gas Hot Air Blowers and Sno-Net® will help the MBTA reduce downtime for its commuter-rail system during winter weather. With 13 commuter-rail routes and millions of riders a year, service reliability and accessibility are "key factors to ensuring commuter confidence," according to Railway Equipment.

Over the next several years, MBTA and Keolis officials have committed to investing in upgrades and improvements to improve rail service and response times during harsh weather conditions.