17.08.20
Innovative imagery survey set to improve passenger journeys
Funded with a £394,000 grant from the Department for Transport through the First of a Kind 2020 programme, a ground breaking way of inspecting the railways is to be used this summer.
Using high-quality imagers across the Thames valley, west London, the west and south west, the work is part of plans to reduce delays for passengers and improve safety for staff.
Network Rail are working with Furgo, a leading Geo-data specialist, following their success on the Wales route in 2019, who will formulate high quality images of thousands of track miles to millimetre accuracy for analysis.
The advanced imagery measures absolute track position, track geometry and the wider rail corridor and will enable any faults on the railway to be detected sooner and before they potentially lead to delays for passengers.
The technology will also develop safety as it will reduce the amount of time railway engineers need to spend on the track.
The imagery survey, known as a Rail Infrastructure Alignment Acquisition (RILA), will capture 97% of Network Rail’s Western route, which runs from Paddington to Penzance and to the Welsh border, providing a nearly complete view of the network to levels of accuracy that have never been seen before.
Mike Gallop, Network Rail’s Western route director, said: “It’s fantastic to be using cutting edge technology to reduce cost of maintenance and effectively provide passengers with an improved experience on the railway.
“We are excited to see the survey results and look forward to seeing the benefits for passengers, and our colleagues on the Western route.”
Rikkert Wienia, Regional Manager Rail, Fugro said: “With RILA we have revolutionised the way railway data and asset information is collected; Geo-data is delivered faster, with less disruption to normal rail services and increasing the safety profile considerably for track survey works.”
Image: Network Rial