Case Study: Team Agility and Responsiveness

July 29, 2022

Introduction

Wi-Tronix was approached by a Class I freight railroad with a safety concern that was occurring across their network because of improper train handling.  The railroad was aware of an issue but had no way to promptly identify and address the issue until long after the event had occurred.  The class I knew they had an urgent safety concern and was relying on Wi-Tronix to not only solve but problem but do so quickly.

Evaluation of the case

In 2020, The Class I had experienced routine dynamic braking events occurring at specific at grade locations on their network.  Safety focused, The Class I recognized they needed to identify a process to identify and mitigate future unintended dynamic braking events.  The BNSF needed a solution and quickly, so they tapped the team at Wi-Tronix for a support. The Wi-Tronix team immediately engaged with the BNSF to develop a customized solution.

Solution

Within 2 weeks, the Wi-Tronix team, in collaboration with the Class 1, developed a pilot tool that would allow the Class I to not only identify but also proactively prevent future dynamic braking events.  Within a matter of 10 weeks, the tool was in full deployment on the Class system.

Recommendation

The Wi-Tronix dynamic braking tool not only used to identify exceptions as they occur, but can also be used as a valuable training tool in the field for managers as well as Engineers.