Brake assembly

A brake assembly for a rail car includes at least one brake element for pressing against a rotor of a rail car wheel in case of a braking action; an actuator for driving the brake element, a linkage for transferring a braking force from the actuator to the brake element, at least one sensor device for measuring at least one parameter of the brake assembly, and the brake assembly further includes a trigger unit configured to enter its active state when a braking action occurs, wherein the trigger unit activates the sensor device in the active state.