Track Inspection, Maintenance, Planning & Scheduling (TIMPS)

TIMPS revolutionizes all aspects of track maintenance. It augments the railroads’ current track and roadbed inspection practice while providing digitized inspection and maintenance reports to support failure trend analysis initiatives. TIMPS accelerates the manual processes and adds to the efficiency, worker safety, and accuracy of track maintenance.

Architecture

TIMPS connects all essential stakeholders through an easy to use interface that relays information to and from a centralized server. The track inspectors log and report the latest maintenance status to the server via TIMPS mobile app. The centralized server provides a complete picture of the track maintenance status to key personnel responsible for track maintenance.

Key Benefits

• Optimized implementation of computational and network resources, human interaction, and rapid response times
• Digital logging of inspections with pictures and audio for review and storage
• Optimized selection and assignment of resources, assets, and tasks
• Continuous review and improvement of processes aimed towards improving work efficiencies
• User authentication and delegation of required responsibility to appropriate workers
• Improved insight towards the overall working of the system
• Dynamic planning and rescheduling of activities and resources

Web App

TIMPS web app provides customized views to the entire crew overseeing the track inspection activities. The roadmasters use TIMPS to insert special inspection requirements when required. In this way they are assured inspectors are working on the highest priority track based on last inspection date and due date for next inspection, or special inspection, all automatically managed by TIMPS. The division engineer or director of track will be assured any special inspection requirements are immediately planned and executed. The train dispatcher has a view of the geographic location of inspection and maintenance personnel, and any track occupancy and temporary speed restriction requests from the field are posted on the app. This is an immense help to the dispatcher, who would otherwise be juggling multiple, simultaneous requests from the field. Once the dispatcher authorizes the occupancy or TSR, the inspector can get to work.

TIMPS Web App Dashboard

TIMPS Mobile App

TIMPS mobile application helps the track departments effectively manage and prioritize system-wide track inspection and maintenance tasks. TIMPS ensures manual inspection of all track assets occurs per the frequency prescribed by the railroad and FRA Part 213 requirements. The key user of this app are the track inspectors who can use it to record defects found in field and immediately send reports to TIMPS Web Application. It also helps the track inspectors record the accurate timing and location of inspection/maintenance activities with other team members.