Rail execs are beginning to explore the capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for a variety of potential applications — including security. More commonly known as drones, these camera-equipped devices can help crews keep closer tabs on tracks and trains from afar.
Because UAVs can move quickly from one place to the next, they offer an advantage over fixed camera systems that criminals can evade.
“An unmanned aerial vehicle could be anywhere anytime, day or night,” said Richard Gent, a retired Naval intelligence officer who now serves as chief executive officer of rail security consulting firm Hot Rail LLC. “You’ve increased the workload for a bad guy or criminal because they don’t know where this thing is.”
Read more from Progressive Railroading.
Related News
- New Jersey Train Length, Crew Size Law Awaits Governor’s Signature
- CSX Conductor, Single Mother Devastated in Head-on Collision
- Union Mourns the Loss of Brother Charles Harrison
- FRA Issues Grade-Crossing Safety Advisory
- Amtrak To Give SMART-TD Members Holiday Bonuses
- Value of Unions
- 2026 Railroad Retirement and Unemployment Insurance Tax Changes
- SMART-TD Members on UP Properties Ratify Five-Year Agreement
- Railroader’s Son to Perform at Carnegie Hall
- Rail Trespassing and Suicide Fatalities Up 70%