Technical Advances in Railway Systems: Condition Monitoring, Smart Control and Optimization
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Transportation and Future Mobility".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 8

Special Issue Editors
Interests: railway systems; antennas and wireless communications
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Railways are increasingly making use of advanced technologies in the forms of integrated sensors, remote automation, and artificial intelligence to enhance quality of service, reduce cost of operation, and most importantly, reduce the chance of collisions, derailments, and other accidents. This Special Issue aims to explore the advancements, challenges, and applications of sensors and automation in modern rail systems. Papers are invited on that consider sensor hardware and design, modeling, algorithms, and system integration, with focuses including, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Railcar condition monitoring, both onboard and wayside;
- Track and ballast condition monitoring;
- Automatic identification of hazards in the right-of-way and grade crossings;
- Advances in positive train control, including moving block control;
- Autonomous train systems;
- Railway safety policy;
- Advanced vision systems for safety and/or tracks;
- Railcar dynamics;
- In-train forces;
- Damage prevention.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Heinrich D. Foltz
Dr. Brent Wilson
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- railway system
- vibration analysis
- railroad bearing performance
- realistic routes
- railway safety
- onboard monitoring systems
- condition monitoring
- predictive maintenance
- fault detection
- structural health monitoring
- sensor networks
- internet of things (IoT)
- smart scheduling
- intelligent control
- autonomous train operation (ATO)
- communication-based train control (CBTC)
- traffic management
- energy efficiency
- resilience
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