A vehicle control system includes one or more processors configured to assign plural vehicles to different groups in one or more vehicle systems for travel along one or more routes. The one or more processors also are configured to determine trip plans for the different groups. The trip plans designate different operational settings of the vehicles in the different groups at different locations along one or more routes during movement of the one or more vehicle systems along the one or more routes. The one or more processors also are configured to modify one or more of the groups to which the vehicles are assigned or the operational settings for the vehicles in one or more of the vehicle systems based on a movement parameter of one or more of the vehicle systems. The trip plans for the different groups of the vehicles are interdependent upon each other.

A railroad personnel scheduling and management system is disclosed. The system may include a personnel database storing qualification data associated with a plurality of railroad personnel and a controller comprising a personnel management module and a communication module. The controller may be configured to receive railroad asset data and personnel location data via the communication module and select a primary personnel from the plurality of railroad personnel in conjunction with the personnel management module and based on the qualification data, the railroad asset data, and the personnel location data. The controller may also be configured to generate a dispatch signal based on the railroad asset data and communicate the dispatch signal to the primary personnel via the communication module.

A system includes a detection module, a control module, an input module, and a determination module. The detection module is configured to obtain information from one or more detectors corresponding to a condition of a transportation network. The control module is configured to issue control messages using the information obtained. The input module is configured to receive a request for the control module to enter a test mode corresponding to an alteration of at least one of an input or an output of the control module from an operational mode. The determination module is configured to determine if an authorization condition corresponding to a physical state of one or more functional activity module of the transportation network is satisfied. The control module is transferred to the test mode if the authorization condition is satisfied and maintained in the operational mode if the authorization condition is not satisfied.

A railroad communication system includes a radio transmitter for generating radio communications signals and a length of railroad rail coupled to the radio transmitter. The length of rail is disposed on a set of nonconductive railroad ties to form a transmission line for radiating the radio communications signals to a radio receiver in a vicinity of the length of railroad rail.

A method controls a movement of a train to a stop at a stopping position between a first position and a second position. The method determines constraints of a velocity of the train with respect to a position of the train forming a feasible area for a state of the train during the movement, such that an upper curve bounding the feasible area has a zero velocity only at the second position, and a lower curve bounding the feasible region has a zero velocity only at the first position. Next, the method controls the movement of the train subject to the constraints.

A monitoring system for detecting a condition in a vehicle, including at least one imaging device having a field of view including at least a portion of an interior cabin of the vehicle occupied by an operator of the vehicle during operation, a data storage medium configured to store parameter data in a database, the parameter data including control parameter data for the interior cabin of the vehicle, and at least one processor in communication with the at least one imaging device and the data storage medium. The at least one processor is programmed or configured to receive operational image data from the at least one imaging device, generate operational parameter data from the operational image data, compare the operational parameter data to the control parameter data, and determine if at least one operator is absent from the interior cabin and/or if at least one unauthorized display device is present in the vehicle.

A positive train control may comprise a plurality of different sensors coupled to a processor that determines whether there is an anomaly of a track way, and if there is, provides an alert and/or a train control action. The plural sensors may include a visual imager, an infrared imager, a radar, a doppler radar, a laser sensor, a laser ranging device, an acoustic sensor, and/or an acoustic ranging device. Data from the plural sensors is geo-tagged and time tagged. Some embodiments of the train control employ track monitors, switch monitors and/or wayside monitors, and some employ locating devices such as GPS and inertial devices.

In a method or apparatus for transporting bulk goods by rail cars on a rail network to a rail car handling terminal where the handling terminal includes a loading and/or unloading system with a metering device for measuring an amount of the bulk goods loaded or unloaded. At the terminal there is a center control data hub connecting to a plurality of portable hand held field computers and a communication system for communication with the rail network to obtain a Car Location Message (CLM), a way bill and mechanical data for each of the rail cars. The center control hub generates data indicating a current stage of each of the railcars and a signal indicative that a rail car can be transferred from one stage to another stage to the portable computers to control transfer of the rail car from one stage to the next stage.

A control system is disclosed for use with a locomotive. The control system may have a component located onboard the locomotive, the component having a first state and a second state. The control system may also have an operator input device located onboard the locomotive and used to manually toggle operation of the component between the first and second states, and at least one sensor located onboard the locomotive and configured to generate a signal associated with a condition of the locomotive. The control system may also have an offboard controller located remotely from the locomotive and being configured to selectively override the operator input device and toggle operation of the component between the first and second states based on the signal.

Herein described is at least a system, method, and/or non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for computing locomotive health based on input parameters such as locomotive defect data and locomotive inspection data. Examples of locomotive health attributes for which values may be computed include an overall health attribute, a power level health attribute, a defect severity health attribute, a trail only health attribute, and a health reason attribute. Furthermore, various events may be defined that may trigger computation of the locomotive health attribute values.