6 High-Tech Advances

Technical innovations that will shape the railroad of the future are the subject of this article. The author begins by describing technical changes in the 19th and 20th centuries, and then presents a partial list of what might follow in the next 20 years. These include electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP)brakes, which are available but have yet to be implemented universally. Conventional braking systems take more than a minute to be applied throughout the train; with ECP brakes a 20-ton taconite train running at 40 mph can stop in just 1,800 feet. Other new technologies include: positive train control, which can improve safety as well as efficiency by keeping more trains on the rails at the same time; remote control on main lines; digital inspection for track and rolling stock; electrification to replace costly fuels; and, nanotechnology in wireless sensors that can alert mechanical and maintenance-of-way personnel to potential failure.