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11/10/2015

NxGen Rail Services: NxTrack high-speed track inspection system

In partnership with HP Enterprise Services, NxGen Rail Services LLC has been testing its NxTrack™ System at Transportation Technology Center Inc.’s full-scale track testing facility in Pueblo, Colo.

The inspection runs were made as part of the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR’s) Strategic Research Initiatives Program involving automated track inspection using imaging technology.

“We are delighted to have been able to support the AAR in their research initiative, and look forward to publication of the test results,” said Robert Grant, managing director of NxGen Rail Services, a Sasser Family Holdings Inc. subsidiary. “Our technologies are enabling our customers to detect serious track defects that are otherwise overlooked, thus making an important contribution to rail safety.”

Introduced last year, NxGen’s NxTrack high-speed track inspection system operates on its track inspection rail car, the NXGX 391, and rides along the rails collecting data at speeds up to 70 mph using optical inspection technologies, geometry inspection and ground-penetrating radar technology. The tracks were configured with known geometry and optical defects, as well as buried structures that the NxTrack system was tasked to identify. Testing was conducted over three days.

The NxTrack car collects real-time data and gives customers a 360-degree view of the full rail infrastructure, integrity and track geometry. The onboard, proprietary analysis and management software interprets the track condition using Federal Railroad Administration-based rules. Integrated machine intelligence analyzes the probable root cause of problems so engineers can make better maintenance decisions.