Railhead Lands CTA Video Contract
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
CTA is expected to install up to 971 Video Recording Systems from Railhead Corp. on its 5000 Series and 3200 Series rapid transit cars, with initial installations beginning this year. (CTA Photograph)
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has awarded Railhead Corp. a contract to design and install a complete Video Recording System for the agency’s Bombardier Transportation-built 5000 Series and Morrison–Knudsen-built 3200 Series rapid transit cars.
According to Burr Ridge, Ill.-based Railhead Corp., the contract includes its 4K video recording system that will record video data from nine cameras in the 5000 Series cars and from six cameras in the 3200 Series cars. The camera and recorder system, the supplier said, is NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) compliant, and the video recording devices are supported by the license-free Railhead Software Management tool that will manage video/data playback and system configuration to meet CTA requirements.
CTA is expected to install up to 971 systems over the life of the project, with initial installations beginning this year. The transit agency took delivery of its 714 5000 Series cars between 2009 and 2015 and its 257 3200 Series cars between 1992 and 1994.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Chicago Transit Authority in their mission to enhance the customer experience for their rail passengers,” Railhead Corp. management said in a May 29 contract award announcement. “Our advanced technology solutions will provide CTA with the tools they need to ensure safety, efficiency, and reliability across their network, and we look forward to supporting CTA in delivering exceptional service to the Chicago community.”
Railhead Corp. has three divisions: Railhead Vision Systems, which offers digital video solutions for the transportation industry, with customized mobile video surveillance for freight railroads, commuter rail and fleet vehicles; K&E Railhead, which provides safety lighting for the rail industry; and K&E Tools, which supplies air tools.
The company last year landed a order for onboard locomotive video systems from Genesee & Wyoming, bringing the total number installed to 268 for the short line holding company.
In a related development, CTA recently launched Innovation Studio 2024. Each year, the transit agency seeks proposals from the private sector to address business challenges through new technologies. This year, it said it is looking for test technologies that improve rail safety, specifically “the automatic detection of people or large objects on train tracks to avoid collision, and either reduce or eliminate service delays”; asset management, specifically the automation of the now-manual process of surveying conditions and using physical assets at more than 10,000 bus stops systemwide; and real-time information, specifically the “expansion of real-time arrival and service alert information at bus stops (sheltered and unsheltered) throughout the system.”
