January’s Red Line derailment was due to a rusted rail that eventually cracked under the weight of a train, a final Metro investigation has confirmed.
Metro making changes to track inspection protocols and plans to increase its use of technology and not just depend on walking track inspections. High-resolution cameras and ultrasonic testing tools will help scan ties and test for rail base corrosion.
The technology-based testing is meant to complement existing walking track inspections, documents prepared for the Metro Board said.
Tie scanning and rail base corrosion testing are scheduled this spring for the first time since 2015. Metro expects to do the tests every 2–4 years.
Read the complete article at https://wtop.com/tracking-metro-24-7/2018/04/metro-to-boost-use-of-tech-aided-track-inspections-after-january-derailment/slide/1/
