Near-Real-time Health Monitoring and Assessment of a Railway Track system

Transportation plays a crucial role in shaping societal equity, and addressing disparities in accessibility and mobility is a pressing challenge faced by government and private agencies. Ensuring the safety and efficiency of railway track systems is of paramount importance in the dynamic landscape of modern transportation. The extensive rail network in the United States serves as a lifeline for the mobility of people and goods, underscoring the critical need for robust methods to evaluate, monitor, and predict the health of rail infrastructure. The primary aim of this research is to create an evaluation framework that enables the rigorous analysis of the equity implications of various transportation policies, especially within the context of the Washington DC area. By using advanced machine learning techniques to enable near-real-time assessment and early warning of railway track conditions, this research will seek to bridge the existing gap by developing an innovative evaluation framework that quantifies and assesses the equity impact of diverse transportation policy initiatives prior to implementation. This study focuses on the intersection of "equity" and "transformation" and as a result, aligns with the United States Department of Transportation's plan of ensuring transportation equity through assessment, investment, enhancement, and coordination.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348303

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Regional Transportation Equity Research Center

  Morgan State University
  Baltimore, MD  United States 

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Niehaus, Joseph

• Performing Organizations:

  Howard University

  Transportation Research Center
  2366 Sixth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20059
• Principal Investigators:

  Arhin, Stephen

• Start Date: 20230901
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Equity; Machine learning; Policy analysis; Railroad tracks; Structural health monitoring
• Geographic Terms: Washington (District of Columbia)
• Subject Areas: Maintenance and Preservation; Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01893887
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Regional Transportation Equity Research Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348303
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 21 2023 4:00PM