Yes. While MxV Rail personnel will fill key operational, directional, and safety roles, such as locomotive engineer or test controller, our customers are welcome to bring their own personnel on site as they see fit. In fact, some of our customers have personnel located on site full-time for ongoing tests.

Strict confidentiality has been the hallmark of MxV Rail’s research from the beginning, including non-disclosure agreements, restrictions on photography, etc. Now that MxV Rail controls its own test site, only essential MxV Rail personnel are aware of projects.

Yes. MxV Rail instrumentation engineers and data analytics will be able to maximize and analyze the data. This includes track-based detectors, equipment-based sensors, conventional strain gauges and accelerometers, and the latest contactless probes. Additionally, vehicle characterization tests and mathematical modeling can be performed. Once completed, you can be confident in the data and results.

It’s likely a wheel-rail interface problem. Many of the driving factors are on the vehicle side: primary suspension, mass characteristics of the wheelset, wheel profiles, axle torsional flexibility and stiffness and the wheel-rail contact patch, and drive train. However, addressing these problems requires treating the vehicle and track as a system.

As with any derailment, there are factors involving track, equipment, and operations that could be involved. Keep in mind, the pullback track sees twice the million gross tons (MGT) as the mainline. The core problem could be the size of the cut and the type of the equipment on a dated track layout. There are actions to take, but you may want a significant engineering change.