Your benefit
- Complete turnout inspection in just four minutes
- Highly accurate measurement under real conditions (with real axle load)
- Planning certainty thanks to comprehensive track information
- Individual reports as a basis for decision-making
- Basis for predictive maintenance
- Can be used during regular train operation – no track possession necessary
- Less endangerment to persons
Measuring during regular operations
Measurement takes place in short intervals between trains so that operations are not restricted. If a high number of turnouts must be measured in large railway station facilities, measurements may be performed at night when there is less traffic. That it is not necessary to travel according to a specific pattern is another major advantage. The system recognizes the pass and assigns it to the relevant turnout. Synchronization occurs with the aid of master data and GPS.
Turnout inspection in a single pass
The non-contacting measuring system for automatic turnout inspection is used for single turnouts, double turnouts and diamond crossings. In great detail, laser sensors and cameras capture all important turnout components: common crossings, turnout blades, important system components such as fastenings, drive units, and cable ducts. For example, 61 turnouts were measured on the night of 8 March 2023 in St. Pölten, Austria. The entire turnout inspection process takes four minutes on average: an example of an impressive innovation at work.
The parameters measured during a turnout inspection
- Track gauge
- Narrowest passage (between blade and stock rail)
- Check rail gauge
- Flange groove
- Rail profile
Monitoring of rail fastenings and sleeper condition
Different track components such as rails (incl. weld joints), rail fastenings, sleepers and ballast are recorded using high-resolution cameras and analysed with artificial intelligence. The analysis provides information on visible anomalies such as missing fastenings, skid marks, rail surface defects, sleeper cracks, head checkings, etc. The number of cameras and their image frames can be chosen according to the customer-specific requirements.
Efficient end-to-end solution
In order to keep all assets available in the track, precise coordination is required with minimal few track possessions. Regular measuring runs for inspection provide the basis for this. The high measuring speed facilitates integration into the timetable. In the back office, this data is analysed for preventive maintenance and used to derive specific work orders. Track maintenance machines implement the necessary corrections and document the results for transparent proof of work.
