Measurement as a Service

More planning security for your rail network

Plasser & Theurer offers measurement and inspection as a service. We use various carrier vehicles equipped with the latest measurement technology for the diagnostic areas of track (B), rail (R), turnout (S), and overhead contact line (C). The track inspection vehicles are optimized for different areas of application and can be deployed at short notice. Alternatively, measuring systems can also be installed on vehicles provided by the customer. We perform measurements ourselves and provide precise and certified measuring data.

Complete turnout inspection in four minutes

When multiple turnouts in large railway station facilities are measured at the same time, the intervals between trains running at night, where there is less traffic, are sufficient. For example, 61 turnouts were measured on the night between 8 and 9 March 2023 in St. Pölten, Austria. It is not necessary to travel according to a specific pattern. The system recognizes the pass and correctly assigns it to the relevant turnout. Synchronization occurs with the aid of master data and GPS. The entire turnout inspection process takes only four minutes on average.

  • Project description:
    Turnout inspection
  • Country of operation:
    Austria
  • Infrastructure manager:
    OEBB
  • Number of switches:
    61
  • Machines in operation:
    EM100VT

Digital route planning for renewal and expansion

Digital twins elevate the planning of railway lines to a completely new level. The associated benefits, which are significant, are demonstrated by the Offenburg project, a 50 km railway line. It only took two days to complete the measuring runs in April 2021, with the second day serving as a backup. By utilizing the gaps in the interval timetable, there was no considerable impact on regular train traffic. For comparison: data collection with conventional methods would have taken at least three weeks. The digital twin enables complete planning on your monitor.

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Measuring a heavy-haul line in Colombia

A complete measurement of the track bed was required as the basis for developing a track maintenance strategy for a heavy-haul line in Colombia. We temporarily installed the measuring systems for track geometry, ballast profile, and ground penetrating radar on a vehicle provided by the customer and used them to measure the entire line. Medium and long-term maintenance measures were created from the measured data.

Successful service in the inspection sector

The EM100VT track inspection vehicle was used to inspect a European rail network for several years. We carried out up to three campaigns per year. We compiled reports and analyses based on the infrastructure manager’s specific requirements. In the scope of these measurements, a total distance of approximately 23,600 km of track was measured in several campaigns.

  • Project description:
    Inspect a rail network
  • Country of operation:
    Europe
  • Total distance:
    23 600 km
  • Machines in operation:
    EM100VT

Your benefit

  • Data package exactly as required
  • No large initial investment necessary
  • Highly precise track-geometry measurement under real conditions (with real axle load)
  • Accurate certified measurement results
  • Flexible in deployment planning
  • Use of well-maintained measuring systems – always up to date
  • Support in analysing the measuring data