Vehicle control based on communication with route examining system

A method comprising:

• generating an inspection signal via a route examining system disposed onboard a first vehicle system, the inspection signal generated based on an examination of a route by the route examining system as the first vehicle system travels along the route, the inspection signal indicating a status of a route segment of the route as damaged or not damaged;
• determining, at a failsafe controller disposed off-board the first vehicle system, whether the inspection signal is received at the failsafe controller;
• and
• responsive to determining that the inspection signal is not received at the failsafe controller within a designated time period, communicating a warning signal from the failsafe controller to a second vehicle system, the warning signal communicated to direct the second vehicle system to (i) avoid traveling over the route segment or (ii) travel over the route segment at a reduced speed relative to a speed at which the second vehicle system would travel over the route segment in absence of receiving the warning signal.

A system comprising:

• a route examining system configured to be disposed on a first vehicle system and comprising one or more processors and one or more electrically conductive bodies configured to be conductively or inductively coupled with a route on which the first vehicle system moves, the one or more processors configured to examine the route by monitoring electrical characteristics of the route detected by the one or more electrically conductive bodies, the route examining system configured to periodically generate inspection signals based on the examination of the route as the first vehicle system travels along the route, each of the inspection signals indicating a status of a different corresponding route segment of the route as damaged or not damaged;
• and
• an off-board failsafe controller configured to receive the inspection signals from the route examining system over time, wherein, responsive to a lack of receipt of any of the inspection signals from the route examining system within a designated time period from a time at which a previous inspection signal was successfully received by the off-board failsafe controller, the off-board failsafe controller is configured to generate a warning signal for communication to a second vehicle system,
• the warning signal generated to direct the second vehicle system to (i) avoid traveling over the route segment that starts at a location of the first vehicle system when the previous inspection signal was successfully received by the off-board failsafe controller or (ii) travel over the route segment at a reduced speed relative to a speed at which the second vehicle system would travel over the route segment in absence of receiving the warning signal.