FORT WORTH, Texas — The Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Division has joined with BNSF Railway to support an effort to further use of technology analyzing the health of railcar brake systems.
The union is joining with the railroad to support a request to the Federal Railroad Administration to expand a test waiver for the Brake Health Effectiveness program, or BHE. This technology measures the temperature of car wheels as it passes through detectors, assisting BRC inspectors by focusing their inspection and repair efforts on specific cars.
BNSF began using the technology four years ago on intermodal and grain cars through an FRA test waiver, and the railroad and BRC are requesting an expansion of that waiver based on positive results of the original program.
“The BRC and BNSF are working together to support the expansion of a technology that has a positive impact on rail safety and train braking performance,” Donald Grissom, General President, BRC, said in a press release.
“We’re proud to partner with BRC to develop and implement technology that drives a safe and efficient rail network,” said Keith Solomons, BNSF’s vice president, Mechanical. “Embracing technological developments like BHE not only creates a safer network, but ultimately allows us to grow the railroad together which is in the best interest of all of us.”
The railroad says it is also working with the union on future technologies, specifically machine vision with the potential to bring additional gains in safety and make inspections more effective.
A brotherhood embracing technology?