Inspections and Examinations

Inspections and examinations are two of the cornerstones of transit safety. bcg’s team of experts brings decades of field and training experience...

Inspections and examinations are two of the cornerstones of transit safety. bcg’s team of experts brings decades of field and training experience to inspections and examinations. We continuously strive to offer agencies and individuals the support and tools that they need to ensure their vehicles and facilities meet industry safety standards. 

Services

Our teams of industry experts have years of experience and are adept at spotting gaps and creating plans to help agencies strengthen their operations. Our inspectors have been working in the transit industry for decades and have extensive knowledge of rail, bus, and demand response transit delivery.

We develop and deliver

  • Field inspection checklists and protocols;
  • Oversight and surveillance plans;
  • Safety management inspections;
  • On-site track inspections;
  • Vehicle inspections;
  • Maintenance inspections; and
  • Vehicle and signal maintenance oversight.

Experience

We have worked with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to establish oversight teams for some of the largest agencies in the nation. In 2018 alone, we conducted almost 1000 inspections across 10 disciplines. 

Our involvement goes beyond providing oversight and delivering inspections: we also deliver and facilitate workshops and presentations to provide industry training to help agencies act on what they learn from inspections. 

In 2015, we served as the contract lead on FTA’s Safety Management Inspection (SMI) at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). This project involved developing and compiling teams of experts and on-site review schedules, documenting reviews, and developing reports—including FTA’s first Safety Directive (15-1), Public Transportation Safety Improvements for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Metrorail and Metrobus Systems.

Training and Resource Development

In our partnership with FTA, we have created and delivered thousands of presentations and resources to support inspections and examinations.

We teamed up with FTA and ZETA-TECH to deliver an inspection workshop to the staff at the Denver Rapid Transit District (RTD) Training Facility. A total of 13 RTD track inspectors, workers, and supervisors/managers were able to receive expert training and resource materials, including:

  • Participant guides; 
  • Track Inspection Pocket Guide reference books to use in the field;
  • Evaluation forms;
  • Pre-Training Track Inspection Knowledge Assessments; and
  • Post-Training Track Inspection Knowledge Assessments.

The workshop covered a variety of topics including rail, tie and fastener, and roadbed inspections, special trackwork inspections, track geometry inspections, and many others.

We have also been involved in the development of a range of publications focused on delivering tools and information on conducting inspections. These publications include the FTA Rail Transit Track Inspection Handbook and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Bus Safety Inspection Work Plan.

Whether it’s through on-site examinations or in-depth training and resource development, we consistently apply our skills and know-how to support individuals and agencies within the transit industry.