Public Funding for Unipart Rail Limited

To bring state-of-the-art electronic design techniques into the manufacture of LED lighting systems (both for rail and road) making step changes in the functionality, effeciency, cost, durability and reliability of the LED lights.

Routine train inspection and maintenance is a continuous activity ensuring equipment is maintained to an acceptable safety standard. Preventing failure of expensive major components (engines, gearboxes, wheel sets, axle bearings) and safely maximising their service life is key to an efficient railway. Continuous automatic inspection based on multi-spectral imaging and computer vision algorithms using specialist cameras, lights and software can be used to detect faults and anomalies before components overheat causing irrevisble damage. Gobotix Vehicle Underframe Examination System - VUES, will uses an array of multi-spectral cameras to detect and report changes and anomalies in the physical state of the underside of a railway vehicle as it passes over the system. Each vehicle is identified by reading its RFID tag and its history recalled. Then, machine learning techniques are applied on the data to detect anomalies and use trending to highlight components which are nearing the end of their service life. VUES holds statistics and can identify trends and has knowledge of standard and safe operating ranges of components. VUES will enable an engineer to access this information through a web application or GUI and take action before a problem becomes serious. VUES removes the need for manual routine maintenance inspection and allows inspection to be automated and thus carried out much more frequently.

An innovative, universal handling solution, for both plain line and large switch and crossing panels, with an interchangeable power module (ICE engine or electric motor and batteries) to create a future proof design. The novel arrangement of the machines allows their use in confined areas such as viaducts, stations and small-bore tunnels making the system applicable in all infrastructure types and locations. Operated via a pedestrian operated remote control system, multiple machines may be linked to handle any conceivable size of track panel. The basis of the machine is a rubber tracked frame with a unique crane superstructure, counterbalanced by its power module allowing loads to be carried directly above the track frame. The machine is, therefore, narrower than the load allowing passage through viaduct parapets, tunnels and other obstructions which make existing machines unsuitable. The ability to slew the crane jib allows the machine to lift and deliver panels to the side of its route whilst independent steering of the tracks beneath the load allows multiple machines to move large track assemblies in any direction to avoid obstacles as required. Interchangeable handling attachments allow the machines to be re-purposed for many other rail infrastructure component handling and installation applications increasing the machines' utilisation and the owners return on investment.

Rail infrastructure operators globally have begun moves towards smart intelligent network infrastructure built upon the placement of hundreds of thousands of various sensors/device types on and along tracks as required for predictive/preventative maintenance. Deployment is currently significantly hampered by affordability and maintenance liability of suitable trackside power options. Remote cable-delivered power is too expensive and impractical and battery-powered devices are limited by battery lifetimes which means disruptive access, cost and safety challenges of regular changes and the sustainability challenge of extensive battery waste. Energy harvesting-based power has been previously considered but found to produce too little power using the approaches that could be practically implemented. Encortec has a gamechanger energy harvesting-based power solution which solves this problem, providing an order of magnitude greater autonomous power supply than other energy harvesting approaches through a novel patented approach. Magnetic flux energy around rail tracks, generated from track return current by passing trains powered by overhead line equipment (OLE) is harvested giving industry leading levels of power. Thus, power can be supplied to sensors as the trains pass by multiple times per hour. This enables maintenance-free deployment of the full range of wireless sensors giving the frequency and range of sensed data required. Proof-of-concept/technical feasibility of the energy harvesting approach has already been established. This proposed industrial stage R&D project aims to develop full prototype energy harvesting-powered sensor devices covering three Network Rail defined sensing scenarios (flooding, rail temperature and track vibration), combined with long-range wireless communications and data analytics and to investigate performance in the varied real-world live rail environments supported by Network Rail. Induced magnetic flux energy and therefore power varies with a number of factors which will determine real-world practicality of the solution. This R&D is a precursor to later, scaled-up trials to demonstrate the value of a complete solution.

Project CODD-P seeks to deploy for the first time a COmmercial version of a Digital Displacement Pump and its electronic controller in place of a traditional hydraulic pump with a swashplate design. This revolutionary technology is highly efficient with minimal part load losses such that a significant saving in fuel consumption (and hence carbon emissions) will be achieved. In-service testing of a fully certified system, combined with accurate measurement of fuel consumption will demonstrate this is the case.

CloseRFIT is a first in-service trial of the technology developed as part of the CloseR project funded by RSSB and Innovate UK. The CloseR system allows operators to engage with each customer individually, enhancing and rewarding the customer’s travelling experience, whilst improving the efficiency of on-train operations. In-seat technology identifies individual passengers, allow automated validation of their seat reservation/ticket status, reducing the need for train crew to undertake revenue protection activities. The system can make reservations and release unused seat reservations during a journey, to ensure optimal use of available capacity, without the need to move passengers who have chosen an unreserved seat. Mobile device applications empower train crew to enhance the customer experience by providing value added services. Customers also receive timely, personalised, and relevant information regarding all stages of their journey. This next generation capability allows operators to engage with individual customers like never before (prior to, during and after their journey) and forms the foundation for the provision of a further array of value adding customer services in the future, by extension of the loyalty scheme to include other modes and partners where appropriate to further improve the customer experience and create new revenue generating opportunities for operators.

The majority of electric trains are fitted with a pantograph that transmits power from overhead lines to the locomotive. The pantograph is in constant contact with the overhead lines. The guide horns are fitted with a carbon contact strip which is a sacrificial component that is a consumable. Damage to overhead lines due to worn pantograph carbon contact strips can cause catastrophic failures that can lead to de-wirements, costing milions of pounds and service disruptions. Currently there are no known methods for detecting the wear on the carbon strip on a "real time" basis and as such, the carbon strip is replaced on periodic bases, often prematurely, causing unnecessary expense, added maintenance time and cost. There are static systems which capture and analyse pantograph carbon wear at a given point and place in time, they do not provide anything more than a snapshot in time of the condition of the collector strips. JR Dynamics LTD (JRD) developed a concept for a system that would accurately detect the carbon wear and thus reduce maintenance costs and times. JRD's vision is to equip all pantographs with a low cost carbon strip wear monitoring system (CWD) that conveys to the train operator the state of wear in real time and thus avoiding premature replacement and unnecessary changeovers. The objective is to create an intelligent low cost system that is supplied and retrofitted to existing pantographs with little disruption or costs. Revenue will be through the supply/integration of the sacrificial wear monitor technology, through to data capture and analysis as part of maintenance optimisation where the access to the data is chargeable. Such models have already been put in practice by JRD through the supply of the PANDAS; pantograph impact detection system and thus this model of charging has already been accepted by train operators. The project will focus on created a CWD that integrates with existing pantographs with minimal modifications and disruptions while meeting legislation and rail regulations to ensure that the product is accepted and approved by the rail authority. The innovation will be the production of a modular carbon strip and a carbon strip wear detection base that will contain the necessary sensors and telematics.

Project Smart Oil Plug aims to provide real-time data analysis and reporting, to enable Train Operating Companies to move away from excessive precautionary gearbox maintenance regimes and instead schedule informed predictive/preventative gearbox maintenance, reducing costs and increasing the reliability of railway operations nationally and globally.

Customer experience is enhanced it two ways, either improving services or resolving problems well. Either case cannot be achieved without engaging customers in innovation. However, for each customer-facing organisation (CFO) the cost and risks of building the necessary IT innovation infrastructure, individually, are considerable barriers. Worse still, such fragmentation is confusing for customers. The project will address these challenges by developing a single UK-wide innovation infrastructure seamlessly connecting customers to any CFO and their supply chain. The project will pilot the infrastructure on a range of CFO projects such as addressing the needs of the visually impaired passenger, better “wayfinding” at stations/platforms, reduction of disruption due to suicide attempts, innovative group ticketing e.g. families, school outings. They also want to develop customer experience enablers and digital assets including social media analysis, journey mapping, digital customer panels, extracting more insights from passenger surveys all of which will allow the industry to achieve a step- change in its ability to improve customer experience through innovation.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

To develop a new generation of self-powered track side sensors for the rail industry, using state of the art 4G wireless communications for monitoring remote locations.