Rail supplier news from Keolis, Duos and STV

Keolis Commuter Services, operating partner for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) commuter-rail network, has partnered with cloud-hosted software provider Comply365 to adopt a content management system and mobile application for train crews and other operational personnel. These platforms will further digitize commuter-rail operations, enhance safety and compliance and provide new efficiencies, including eliminating the need for train crews to carry large paper manuals. With funding from the MBTA, Comply365’s platform will support Keolis’ digital transformation to electronic content delivery using tablets. The move digitizes rulebooks, bulletins, special instructions and other operational documents that more than 1,000 train conductors, locomotive engineers, track workers and other operational personnel are required to carry when operating on the commuter-rail network, according to a Keolis press release.

Dell Technologies yesterday announced a partnership with Duos Technologies in which Dell Technologies deployed artificial-intelligence solutions at the edge to significantly speed up rail-car inspections. Traditionally, inspections take an average of eight minutes per rail car and can cause unscheduled stops that cost rail companies millions of dollars annually. To overcome this, Duos Technologies created the Railcar Inspection Portal using Dell Technologies infrastructure and services to streamline this process, which can inspect more that 120 rail cars moving at full speed in the same eight minutes. The solution is used by major railroads to streamline inspections, increase customer safety, enhance maintenance accuracy and reduce operational costs, according to a Dell press announcement.

STV Inc. has been selected by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) as the prime consultant to prepare a first-of-its-kind study of the needs of female riders. L.A. Metro’s Gender Action Plan (GAP) is being conducted in partnership with TransLink Consulting, Fehr & Peers, OhanaVets and the University of California, Los Angeles. It will build upon Metro’s 2019 study, “Understanding How Women Travel,” to identify specific changes within all parts of the system, according to an STV press release.