With track possessions becoming shorter and a shortage of qualified staff, infrastructure managers and contractors face major challenges. The pressure on railways to increase capacity and handle more trains using the existing infrastructure is increasing. This means delivering greater high-quality output in shorter track possessions.
Progressive automation of track maintenance machines offers a solution. Digital products support operating staff, reduce interfaces, create process reliability, and increase the output achieved. Familiarization times and training requirements for operation go down. In addition, staff can now monitor and carry out several maintenance tasks simultaneously.
Demand for more capacity
Globally, the rail system is seeing a rising demand for both freight and passenger transport. In Belgium, a report by the Federal Planning Office forecast an increase in demand of 9% for passenger transport and 62% for freight transport for the period between 2012 and 2030. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) announced in 2024 that they intend to double the capacity on their main lines by 2040. In future, railway infrastructure will have to be more available than ever before, with line closures, long diversions, and rail replacement services increasingly being seen as a last resort.
Intensive testing in Japan in cooperation with the research department of JR East and Totetsu Kogyo Co, Ltd, a partner company of JR East, showed more than 99% agreement between the assistance system's recommendations for action and the working methods of experienced machine operators. In comparisons between manually controlled operation and use of the assistance system, the Plasser TampingAssistant shows more consistent performance over longer periods of time, as it does not have to stop in the event of obstacles on the line.
Development is far from complete – we are convinced that the future belongs to autonomous maintenance machines.
Finding staff, reducing pressure
Attracting skilled labour to the rail industry is a growing challenge. It is becoming increasingly difficult to train and retain staff for track maintenance, not least because for operational reasons, work shifts often take place at unfavourable times, such as at weekends or at night.
The various developments within the Plasser SmartTamping initiative have created pioneering technological foundations for autonomous track maintenance machines over the last ten years. They control the work process, monitor the result, and ensure consistent quality. Additionally, this unburdens operators. Optimum results can be achieved when people and machines work together.
A digitalized, automated work process delivers consistent results – regardless of the experience of the operating staff – and creates identifiable added value for the infrastructure manager through transparent documentation. The comprehensive use of camera systems and remote control units takes people out of the danger zones on the track – a significant safety aspect. Networked, standardized, and secure data processing plays a decisive role in this.
Managing maintenance effectively
Getting more trains onto existing tracks is no easy task. The targeted planning and implementation of construction and maintenance projects does not conflict with this but is a necessity in order to achieve this goal. There are different strategies and approaches to infrastructure asset management around the world. Regardless of how the work and monitoring is carried out in the company: consistent, high-quality maintenance combined with end-to-end solutions reduces costs and additional work.
Our approach is based on a simple premise: accurate measurement supports effective maintenance planning, leading to efficient execution and the creation of transparent documentation as a basis for future work.
Assistance systems for performing tasks
For the core processes of track maintenance work, Plasser SmartTamping offers solutions for automated tamping unit positioning (Plasser TampingAssistant), automated tamping parameters (Plasser TampingControl), and digital verification management (Plasser TampingReport).
SmartTamping includes a wealth of functions that support machine operators, increase process reliability and efficiency, and provide detailed digital verification of the work carried out and the condition of the infrastructure. Laser sensor systems and analyses based on artificial intelligence (AI) are fully integrated into the Plasser machine control system. End-to-end digitalization is already offered today, from pre-measuring and documentation of maintenance work to post-measuring.
The next milestone is to bring all of our digital products together on a single operating platform. The track machine operating system tmOS will play a key role in implementing the "end-to-end approach" for digital and automated track maintenance.
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