With over 40,000km of track, Australia has one of the largest railway networks in the world. Regular maintenance is necessary but current inspection methods of track ballast, rail switches, spikes, points, guard rails etc. are costly and can be dangerous or difficult to execute in remote areas.
Regular maintenance and inspections are necessary to keep Australia’s rail network moving, but this often requires crews to be within the rail corridor to perform visual inspections. A range of safety protocols have been introduced to minimise risks, but it can involve costly track possession or occupation to slowly inspect sections, often with limited accessibility.
Use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) can save time and resources in pre and post-construction activities, keeping Australia’s rail network safe and maintained. We can cover vast areas quickly to produce extremely detailed and accurate data which is valuable (and vital) for engineers, surveyors, maintenance teams and project managers to assist with safety, compliance and planning activities.
- Land Acquisition
- Design & Construction
- Commissioning
- Rehabilitation
- Track Inspection
- Track Renewal
APPLICATIONS
- Conduct land surveys for pre-construction and during construction
- Routine inspection of track ballast, rail switches, spikes, points, guard rails
- Creation of 3D digital models to monitor deformation
- Monitor field work from the office
- Cover large areas or long linear flight paths in a short time
- Assessment of the ground situation in the aftermath of an accident, incident or natural disaster
BENEFITS
- Minimises risk to maintenance crews by removing the need to physically access tracks, hazardous areas and remote environments
- Faster and more cost -effective data capture compared to conventional methods
- Conduct complex inspections of rail components to assist with design and maintenance planning
- Assists with maintenance planning and reduces the expense of possessions and line blocks
- Easy identification of critical deterioration and maintenance requirements across the whole network
- Quickly prepare status reports of an ongoing project
Related Use Cases:
Road Surveys
Aerial images taken by drones greatly accelerate and simplify topographic surveys for road management and planning.
Asset Inspection
Perform precise, non-interfering remote inspections of assets to improve efficiency and safety of infrastructure.
