TrackSentinel — Surface Defect Detection for Track Components
AI-powered inspection for rail surface conditions, tie health, fastener integrity, and ballast indicators. Supplements visual inspection programs with consistent, documented detection.
What TrackSentinel Does
- Rail surface defects (head checking, squats, visible cracks)
- Tie condition grading (wood and concrete)
- Fastener anomaly detection
- Ballast surface assessment
- FRA-compliant documentation
What Requires Other Technology
- •Internal rail defects (ultrasonic testing required)
- •Track geometry measurement
- •Rail profile/wear measurement
Measured Outcomes
| Metric | Before TrackSentinel | With TrackSentinel | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface defect detection | ~50% (patrol variability) | ~90%+ (consistent AI) | ↑ 40%+ detection |
| Corridor coverage/day | 20-40 track miles | 100+ track miles | ↑ 50-65% time savings |
| Emergency repair costs | Reactive maintenance | Predictive scheduling | ↓ 30-45% cost reduction |
| Documentation time | Hours per inspection | Automatic generation | ↓ 80%+ time savings |
*Results from customer deployments. Actual outcomes vary by railroad size, track class, and operational context.
Important Scope Clarification
TrackSentinel uses camera-based AI to detect SURFACE defects on rail, ties, fasteners, and ballast. Internal rail defects (transverse fissures, detail fractures, compound fissures, etc.) occur inside the rail steel and are invisible to camera systems. These defects require ultrasonic testing (UT) and are outside TrackSentinel's detection scope.
TrackSentinel complements—but does not replace—ultrasonic rail inspection programs required for internal defect detection.
Detectable Defects
Rail Surface Conditions
- Head checking and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) indicators
- Squats and surface spalling
- Visible surface cracks
- Shelling patterns
- Corrugation
- Crushed or flattened rail conditions
- Joint bar visual condition
Tie Condition
- Wood ties: Plate cut severity, splits, end cracks
- Concrete ties: Rail seat abrasion (RSA), crack detection
- Tie skew and positioning anomalies
Fastener Condition
- Missing or broken clips (concrete ties)
- Raised or missing spikes (wood ties)
- Tie plate condition
Ballast Surface Indicators
- Fouling indicators from surface imagery
- Insufficient ballast at tie ends/cribs
- Voiding patterns
Note: Subsurface defects (transverse fissures, internal detail fractures) require ultrasonic inspection systems.
FRA Part 213 Compliance Support
TrackSentinel supports your FRA compliance program through comprehensive documentation and human-in-the-loop design.
Documentation Capabilities
- GPS-stamped defect locations for field verification
- Timestamped imagery for audit trails
- Exportable reports in FRA-compatible formats
- Defect classification aligned with 49 CFR 213.113 terminology
Human-in-the-Loop Design
- Inspector override capability for all AI classifications
- Field verification workflow queue
- Complete audit trail of detections and dispositions
- Training integration for inspector development
Important Limitations
TrackSentinel supplements—but does not replace—FRA-mandated visual inspections by §213.7 qualified personnel. Internal rail inspection requirements under §213.237 require ultrasonic testing systems.
Outcomes
Technical Specifications
Implementation Timeline
Proof of Concept
- Site survey and sensor positioning
- Baseline corridor scans
- Model calibration to site conditions
- Accuracy validation against manual assessment
Pilot
- Live inference on pilot corridor
- CMMS integration testing
- Inspector workflow integration
- Threshold tuning based on field feedback
Production Scale
- Multi-corridor deployment
- Model ops with drift monitoring
- Continuous improvement cycle
- Quarterly accuracy assessments
Proof of Concept
- Site survey and sensor positioning
- Baseline corridor scans
- Model calibration to site conditions
- Accuracy validation against manual assessment
Pilot
- Live inference on pilot corridor
- CMMS integration testing
- Inspector workflow integration
- Threshold tuning based on field feedback
Production Scale
- Multi-corridor deployment
- Model ops with drift monitoring
- Continuous improvement cycle
- Quarterly accuracy assessments
Why TrackSentinel
Enterprise Inspection Intelligence Without Enterprise Investment
Class I railroads deploy dedicated inspection railcars costing millions. TrackSentinel brings comparable surface defect detection capability to regional, short-line, and transit operators through:
Deploy on existing infrastructure
Wayside cameras or hi-rail vehicle mounting—no dedicated detector car required
Edge processing
Real-time alerts without cloud dependency—data stays on your network
Combined inspection
Rail surface, ties, fasteners, and ballast in single deployment
CMMS integration
Direct work order generation to your existing systems
TrackSentinel serves operators who need modern surface inspection technology at regional railroad scale.
What it does
- Surface defect detection: rail, ties, fasteners, ballast
- Priority scoring by defect severity, location, and traffic volume
- FRA Part 213 documentation support with GPS, timestamps, and defect codes
- Wayside camera integration (visible + thermal) for continuous monitoring
- Trend analysis dashboard for track degradation patterns
How it works
Data Capture
Deploy cameras (visible + thermal) on wayside mounts, hi-rail vehicles, or locomotives. Capture track imagery continuously during patrol or operations.
Edge Processing
NVIDIA Jetson processes imagery in real-time. No cloud upload required—detections stay on your network.
AI Detection
Models trained on railroad imagery identify surface defects, tie conditions, fastener anomalies, and ballast indicators. Each detection includes confidence score and severity classification.
Alert Generation
Detections exceeding configurable thresholds trigger real-time alerts via cellular or batch upload. GPS coordinates enable precise field location.
Inspector Verification
§213.7 qualified personnel verify AI detections. Override capability ensures human judgment remains authoritative.
Work Order Integration
Verified defects route directly to Maximo or SAP PM with coordinates, photos, severity scores, and recommended actions.
Data Capture
Deploy cameras (visible + thermal) on wayside mounts, hi-rail vehicles, or locomotives. Capture track imagery continuously during patrol or operations.
Edge Processing
NVIDIA Jetson processes imagery in real-time. No cloud upload required—detections stay on your network.
AI Detection
Models trained on railroad imagery identify surface defects, tie conditions, fastener anomalies, and ballast indicators. Each detection includes confidence score and severity classification.
Alert Generation
Detections exceeding configurable thresholds trigger real-time alerts via cellular or batch upload. GPS coordinates enable precise field location.
Inspector Verification
§213.7 qualified personnel verify AI detections. Override capability ensures human judgment remains authoritative.
Work Order Integration
Verified defects route directly to Maximo or SAP PM with coordinates, photos, severity scores, and recommended actions.
Solutions by Railroad Type
Short-Line & Regional Railroads
Challenge
Limited inspection budgets and no dedicated inspection equipment
Solution
Cost-effective surface inspection for limited budgets. Deploy on existing hi-rail vehicles. FRA compliance documentation support without capital investment.
Transit & Commuter Rail
Challenge
High-traffic segments require frequent inspection with minimal service disruption
Solution
High-frequency inspection of high-traffic segments. Station platform area monitoring. Integration with transit asset management systems.
Industrial & Port Rail
Challenge
Yard track and interchange conditions require documentation for liability
Solution
Yard track inspection and condition documentation. Interchange track assessment. Heavy axle load territory monitoring for shared-use facilities.
Class I Secondary Applications
Challenge
Branch lines and yards need inspection coverage beyond mainline UT programs
Solution
Branch line coverage supplementing mainline ultrasonic programs. Yard and terminal inspection. Pre-positioning for ultrasonic testing by identifying surface conditions.
What you get
- Defect detection model for rail, tie, and ballast defects
- Severity scoring algorithm trained on historical failure data and FRA standards
- FRA-compliant inspection log export with defect classification and remediation status
- Wayside camera integration adapter (Salient, Lynxrail, custom systems)
TrackSentinel interface: Tie-level condition grading with actionable severity indicators
Deployments & integrations
- Wayside cameras (visible/thermal/LiDAR) on fixed infrastructure or track geometry cars
- Edge compute for real-time defect alerts or cloud-based batch processing
- Integration with CMMS/EAM systems (Maximo, SAP PM, Infor EAM)
Security & governance
- On-prem deployment for Class I railroads with full data sovereignty
- Inspector override capabilities for all defect classifications
- Audit trail for compliance reporting and regulatory inspections
Related Solutions
TrackSentinel focuses on track component surface inspection. For comprehensive railroad inspection coverage:
Internal defects (transverse fissures, detail fractures, compound fissures) require ultrasonic testing technology. TrackSentinel complements—but does not replace—UT-based rail flaw detection programs.
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