Amsted Rail, GE combine technologies for rail-car monitoring

Amsted Rail and GE Transportation have formed a strategic partnership to offer a rail-car performance monitoring system, the companies announced today.

The "Car Integrity Monitor" solution integrates Amsted Rail's IONX Edge^™ rail-car monitoring system with GE's GoLINC^™ network and communication platform to collect and monitor sensor data, according to the companies' press releases.

The monitor uses sensors mounted on rail cars, which will enable Amsted Rail to receive real-time notifications about the condition of rail-car components, as well as risk events related to broken wheels, hot bearings and handbrake application.

"With this advanced technology, we'll be able to move from intermittent data collected from wayside detectors, spaced sometimes 200 to 400 miles apart, to near real-time monitoring of rail car component health," said Brad Myers, vice president and chief commercial officer for Amsted Rail. "The solution can support an individual railcar or a complete train — providing actionable data to allow for better, more informed decision-making."

The new offering is part of GE's effort to create "self-aware trains" that, through the use of sensors, data and predictive analytics, gather information about the train and its environment to boost performance, GE officials said.