Archives: Agenda

Mafex and its associated ecosystem are pushing rolling stock toward: 

• High energy efficiency rolling stock systems (regenerative braking, hydrogen, on board storage, reversible substations, advanced materials) 

• Smart sensor/Predictive maintenance and digitalization through VR, AR 

• Long lifecycle & sustainability with durable materials and modularity 

•  Overview of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) research how emerging propulsion technologies—such as battery and hydrogen systems—affect rail safety 

• Use of accident investigations and data to identify key risk scenarios (rollover, fire, water exposure, side and underframe impacts) that must be addressed for safe deployment of new onboard energy storage systems 

• Research on explosion hazards, fire/toxicity risks, crashworthiness of battery enclosures, and suppression technologies for battery‑related fires 

• Example of past research that informs current research and standards development will be given. 

• Overview of how Henkel are shaping the future of adhesives, through cutting edge innovation and a strong sustainability mandate.  

• Introduction to three next-generation Silane Modified Polymer (SMP) advancements  

• Introduction to brand new adhesive technology with cross-industry potential 

• Demonstration of how technological leadership and sustainability can jointly drive the next era of adhesive solutions 

• Overview of hydrogen and battery locomotive deployments in Canada.
• Transport Canada’s research to date into fire risks on board hydrogen and battery locomotives.
• Update on the development of hydrogen and battery specifications, codes, and standards for North America.
• Review of Transport Canada’s railway wildfire safety initiatives.

• Fire safety systems must work when everything else fails: Zero tolerance for failure when safety is at risk. 

• Reliability sustained by maintenance, not only by design: From RAMS to Maintenance as Reliability, keeping protection effective over time. 

• Different fire detection sensors require different maintenance logic: Smoke, gas, aspiration, heat — different ageing, different risks. 

• Digital and AI tools enable proactive fire safety maintenance: From observation to prediction with condition-based insights using smart camera features. 

• Suggestions for cross-agency collaboration and testing to raise industry standards 

• Digital tools supporting the development and testing of cutting-edge emergency responses 

• Integrating the human factor into automated procedures  

• Creating a culture of continual improvement: moving from procedures shaped by compliance to an excellence-based system