City of Houston - Findings from Train Trap Trials

The City of Houston is notorious for some of the worst rail blockages in the country. Exacerbated by the pandemic and supply chain issues, the city wanted to take action.

Like many cities, they hoped a custom multi-partner solution with existing service providers could deliver an effective and cost efficient solution. TRAINFO was presented as an alternative, a single solution provider solely dedicated to mitigating rail blockages.

The City of Houston decided to run a head to head trial. Jack Hannagriff was tapped by the Mayor’s Office of Innovation to run the Smart Railroad Crossing Plan. With extensive experience, Jack was well positioned to coordinate the players to make a fair evaluation of two distinct grade crossing monitoring solutions.

Smart Railroad Crossing Plan 2022-2023?

[Download White Paper - https://trainfo.ca/resources/case-studies/]

The Testing Ground

The East End of Houston is nicknamed the Railroad Landing Strip, characterized for its high density of trains. It is home to the infamous Train Trap, where four railroads operate over three corridors that form a triangle that, when blocked, can literally hold citizens and first responders hostage.?

The goal of the Smart Railroads project would be to see how different systems performed in real life situations using measurable data points and clear analytics.

Insights in Trial Logistics

Theoretical solutions placed in practical real life scenarios resulted in deep learnings:

• Sensor housing, location, aiming and firewall considerations are crucial factors in success detection and communication
• Solution providers were pushed to attain the highest possible rate of accurate reporting of blockage events - while 80 to 90% sounds good, the gold standard for the project would be to strive for 100% accuracy —? a feat which was only attained by TRAINFO
• Intelligence insights were considered for public safety, DOT and First Responders, and community buy-in
• Two-prong validation with eyes-on monitoring confirmation enhanced understanding and confidence in results

Recommendations

The Smart Railroad Crossings Project started with the premise that broad platform technology solutions, with off-the-shelf sensors, could efficiently solve the problem of monitoring blocked rail crossings.?

However, in the execution of the project, TRAINFO proved to be the preferred solution.?

Based on the metrics, TRAINFO excelled in the following areas:

• TRAINFO audio sensors provided 100% real time consistent and reliable event reporting
• TRAINFO, coupled with a Bosch camera and supported by the Houston Smart Hub VMS, delivered two-factor validation with 100% accuracy
• Built-in data analysis and dashboard/reporting tools were embedded in the browser-based user interface provided easy-to-use access for viewing and customizing event data.
• Raw data downloads were available in a csv format which allowed for importing to other third-party business intelligence reporting tools.

The TRAINFO platform is specifically designed for the purpose and focus of detecting trains and the effects of blocked railroad crossings, not just for the City of Houston, but nationwide. In real life conditions TRAINFO showed it uniquely fits the requirements and is well positioned for growth and expansion in accordance with the city’s goals and objectives.

Get the Whole Story

For cities and counties that are looking for a powerful solution, TRAINFO’s platform is an ideal tool that can unleash transformational change in public safety. Trains and people have to share spaces and there has to be a give and a take to make it work.

Download the 15-page white paper detailing this case study. Discover why TRAINFO strives for 100% accuracy, why now is the time to tackle grade crossing delays, and how this project is a stepping stone towards Houston’s Smart Safe Streets for All Project.

Learn More: https://trainfo.ca/resources/case-studies/

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Are You Ready for More?

We here at TRAINFO are absolutely passionate about eliminating traffic delays and accidents at rail crossings. TRAINFO is the only company in North America exclusively dedicated to solving this problem.?

No one cares more about this than us. It’s all we do, and we do it best.?

We have a team of industry experts and thought leaders that participate in the top organizations tackling these issues.

If you think TRAINFO could be a solution for your city or region — learn more or reach out for a consultation.

https://trainfo.ca/contact/

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