General Electric has opened a “mission control” center for trains in Fort Worth to digitally track the performance of 17,000 vehicles worldwide. The new facility is known as the Global Performance Optimization Center.
Modern locomotives are outfitted with about 250 sensors, which provide real-time data that makes it possible for GE workers to troubleshoot mechanical problems before they cause delays in freight shipments. The mission control center in Fort Worth will monitor about 2.5 million pieces of data coming in per day. Most problems can be diagnosed while trains are crossing the country and fixed when the locomotive gets to its next scheduled stop.
On one wall, the center employees can view a map of the world, with color-coded squares showing the location of every active GE locomotive. Workers also have individual stations where they can review thousands of pieces of data coming in every 15 minutes.
Similar GE facilities already are open in Erie, Pa., as well as in Brazil and Kazakhstan. The three facilities share the same data and, once a problem is identified, mutually decide which center should be responsible for putting together a detailed trouble-shooting guide sent to railroads so the repairs can be made.
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