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Keeping trains, track and infrastructure in tip-top condition

Keeping trains, track and infrastructure in tip-top condition

Sep 22, 2024

Maintenance is key to ensuring that European railways remain safe, reliable, and efficient.

This involves keeping close watch on key assets throughout the rail system:

Trains

Track

Associated infrastructure

The Challenge

Maintaining and renewing the continent’s rail infrastructure costs over €25 billion annually, and can cause long disruptions. Demands rise steeply as rail networks expand.

Rail faces a growing maintenance challenge.

How we do this?

With innovative technologies and data analytics. EU-Rail demonstrations developed and tested an array of new maintenance solutions using:

Data-driven technologies

Intelligent Asset Management (IAM) and digitalisation

Prototype

How it works

Key findings

On-Track Autonomous Multipurpose Mobile Manipulator (OTA3M)

Road-rail excavator enhanced with trajectory scaling algorithms; fastreacting Inertial Measurement Units; autonomous running modes and safety systems

Significantly improved efficiency, safety, control accuracy. Task operation 20% faster; positive Economic Net Present Value €90 million over 20 years

Occupational Backsupport Exoskeleton (oBSE)

Fitted with sensors and IoT capabilities, helps workers lift and carry

Musculoskeletal loading reduced by up to 50% ; improved worker productivity and safety

Unmanned Ground Vehicle and End Effector

Autonomous vehicle equipped with command and control system; and a Robotic device that screws and unscrews rail fasteners

Better obstacle detection accuracy and maintenance cycle times; reduced ergonomic risks; produces up to 302.5 sleepers per hour

Who benefits

Infrastructure managers

Suppliers

Intelligent asset management solutions

Key findings
Italian Urban Metro System IAMS In urban areas IAMS can successfully: detect anomalies, increase data availability, reduce passenger disruptions
Digital Twin for Railway Asset Management Scalable, easy to maintain. Can be integrated into existing information systems.
Anomaly Detection for Rail Fastener Systems New Lindometer successful in adverse weather at 70 km/hour. Detects anomalous points precisely
Automated data collection and intervention Algorithm now offered as an additional feature in TIRIS asset management system for predictive maintenance
SMART maintenance on rail freight corridor Considering track anomalies, root causes, greatly improves maintenance planning and execution efficiency
IAM On-Track Machine Decision-Support Tool Demo achieved TRL 6-7; could reach TRL 8, if used in existing systems
IAM Life Cycle Engineering tool Enables comparison of maintenance strategies; guides choices respecting budgets
Operational Asset Management Improves data acquisition, analytics, rail network maintenance decision- making
Integrated Maintenance Decision Support Platform Provides decision-makers with diverse scenarios; Satisfactorily reproduces manual planning
IAMS integration demonstrator “Gotham City” with a Human Machine Interface Live monitoring: interactive map of whole line, dashboard for KPI monitoring; Historical data visualisation of the map assets, access to all relevant information

The benefits of Data-Driven Technologies and Intelligent Asset Management

  • More frequent, higher quality, relevant data on the conditions of key rail assets
  • Optimised decision-making on maintenance needs and urgency

Better asset management = railways that are more efficient, attractive and cost-effective

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Europe's Rail