Union Pacific is moving rail safety forward with Integrated Train Operations (ITO), which combines decades of technology into a coordinated system that decreases variability, reduces risk and supports enhanced safety across the network.
The energy management systems (EMS) supports about 70% of Union Pacific train miles and has logged more than 300 million miles – the equivalent of traveling around the earth more than 12,000 times – while the remote-control operations (RCO) have been safely supporting operations for more than two decades.
Now, both systems are integrated to enable ITO.
“The real shift is how the technology works together,” says Eric Gehringer, EVP, operations. “Today, operators coordinate systems manually. ITO carries out the operator’s commands to provide safe and consistent train handling, freeing them up to focus on their environment.”
Key takeaways:
· The testing is part of a broader safety program that aligns system design, testing and day-to-day operations. Teams evaluate potential risks, build in safeguards and continue validating to make sure those protections hold up in practice.
· The railroad is now seeking to expand testing through a phased program in revenue service, all under FRA oversight. The goal is to gather more data in real operating conditions while maintaining existing safety protections.
