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Fort Worth to pilot TrainFo sensors, tie crossing data into Waze and CAD
Summary
City staff said Fort Worth will pilot TrainFo sensor technology at two high-visibility crossings and tie the data into ITS systems, dynamic message boards, Waze/Google routing and first-responder CAD to reduce blocked-crossing delays.
In a presentation to the Government Affairs Committee, Kelly Porter described a planned pilot of TrainFo sensors at two high-visibility crossings and work to integrate crossing-status data with the city's ITS and CAD systems and public routing services. Porter said the pilot will appear in Districts 2 and 9, naming North Main (Fort Worth Western) and West 7th as initial locations.
Porter said one West 7th installation will include dynamic message boards and that part of the equipment has been secured. "We're gonna be piloting that train phone technology in District 9 at two very high visibility crossings," Porter said, adding that the system can feed information to Waze and Google so traffic can be rerouted when crossings are blocked. She also said staff are coordinating with police and fire to ensure first responders can use the data for emergency response routing.
The city has applied for a federal grant to expand the technology to 10 additional crossings; Porter said the grant is pending and city staff expect to hear results before the end of the fiscal year. Committee members questioned whether signs could show estimated wait times; Porter said she would check with traffic engineers but cautioned signage presents limits on how much information can be displayed.
The committee did not authorize additional funding at the meeting; the pilot will proceed using city funds already allocated for the technology.
