RTD Drones Keep Light Rail Moving

DENVER, CO -- Eyes in the sky, in the form of drones, help keep light rail moving on Denver's RTD system.

Last year was the first year that track inspectors used Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drones, to inspect RTD's rails in what's called the State of Good Repair (SGR) reporting.

"We inspected the entire west, central, Platte Valley and southwest [rail] corridors [in 2017]," said Sean Douglass, an SGR inspector who's also one of the agency's two FAA-certified pilots who can fly drones commercially, in a statement. "We also inspected the southeast corridor down to E-470, where FAA regulations prevented us from going any farther south without a waiver because of controlled airspace around Centennial Airport."

Before the use of high-definition photography from above, rail inspectors had to walk the rails, in a flagged work zone, to check light rail alignment. That slowed down passenger travel because trains must slow down and obey flaggers while traveling through the work zone, a report said.

Now, using a small drone, a camera and a ground system operated by a qualified pilot, the agency can capture high resolution 12mp still images and video can be captured up to 30 frames per second in 4k.

BSNF freight lines have also employed drones to help maintain thousands of miles of track, according to Forbes Magazine. Forbes reported in 2014, 500 train derailments in the U.S. were due to track problems, according to the F.A.A. In Germany, drones are used for railroad security to help deter graffiti.

Don't be alarmed if you see a drone traveling along the rails, it's just a way for RTD to keep the trains moving and improve passenger service.

But do be alarmed if you see a hot-dogging drone buzzing your freight train:

Image via RTD