ELECTRONIC DATA COLLECTION AND RECORD KEEPING OF FRA TESTS AND INSPECTIONS FOR THE SIGNAL DEPARTMENT
Lester H. Hightower · 2003
CSX Transportation identified a need to improve its compliance with the requirements of federally mandated, routine tests and inspections. Our goals were to provide superior management and oversight of FRA compliance across our entire infrastructure, while eliminating paperwork at all levels. Our approach integrates four key components to deliver a complete solution: Handheld computers for field use, Secure DigitalTM memory cards for each handheld computer user, a cost effective and reliable communications infrastructure, and a central computer system to manage assets and test records as well as to support the handheld computers. CSXT has deployed over 300 handheld computers to signal supervisors, maintainers, and inspectors on its Southern Region, and we have processed tens of thousands of test forms, representing many hundreds of thousands of FRA inspections, thus far.