Wi-Tronix Named in Transit Tech Lab’s 2023 Proof of Concept Results

August 22, 2023

Operational Efficiency and Human Capital Challenge Finalists Present Proofs-of-Concept

At the start of 2023, the Transit Tech Lab launched the Operational Efficiency and Human Capital Challenges in partnership with four New York Metro regional transit agencies: the MTA, NJ TRANSIT, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the NYC Department of Transportation.

The program received nearly 150 applications from companies around the world. To select the most compelling solutions, subject-matter experts and executives from participating transit agencies evaluated each company and selected 23 semifinalists. Of those, 15 companies were selected to participate in the finals — a 50% increase from the 2022 cohort.

In May 2023, the companies began an eight-week proof-of-concept phase, working closely with their respective transit agency partners to test and implement their solutions to enhance operational performance and improve employee recruitment and retention.

The following report details each company’s solution, how it was used, and its potential for bringing new technology to the public sector while improving the public transportation experience for millions of people in the tri-state area.

Operational Efficiency Challenge

In response to post-pandemic reduced ridership and revenue, NYC regional transit agencies are seeking tools that can reduce costs while increasing efficiency.

Results: Wi-Tronix

Wi-Tronix is an immersive, real-time IoT platform that is essential for railroads and transit systems to continuously improve operations, safety practices, and service reliability; Wi-Tronix collects insights from onboard systems and enables remote visibility for customers to make decisions and respond to issues quickly and efficiently.

The company installed a Violet Edge on a MNR 9130 train car and a PATH 5743 train car, collecting over 17 million data points daily to provide real-time remote visibility to HVAC and other key vehicle data systems for 19 unique users. The remote visibility, real-time data, and rich telemetry insights enable condition based and predictive maintenance which can help improve both maintenance time to repair and reliability of trains.

Partner Agencies: Metro-North Railroad (MNR), Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), NJ TRANSIT (NJT)

Feedback: “The amount of rolling stock data that Wi-Tronix can communicate in an actionable format is remarkable. Predictive maintenance methodologies are now within reach.” – MTA Project Manager for Wi-Tronix

For the full POC report, visit 2023_Transit_Tech_Lab_Finalist_POC_Report