High-tech vehicle inspection project to detect tyre faults
UNDETECTED worn locomotive and wagon tyres - a frequent cause of accidents, derailments and service delays - could soon be eliminated from the UK rail network.
Over the next two years, part of Network Rail’s Freight Safety Improvement Portfolio’s £22 million fund is to be spent on fitting 15,000 vehicles with electronic devices to detect defects.
The equipment will enable the condition of wheelsets to be monitored remotely, reducing the threat of rail damage by allowing defective units to be pulled out of service quickly for inspection and repairs.
The tags, which will be fitted to both sides of engines and wagons, will convey radio frequency messages to lineside readers at 22 locations.
Wagon faults are already known to be the most common cause of freight train delays and a serious safety hazard, and Network Rail and operators have agreed a joint plan to try to resolve the problem.
The Freight Safety Improvement Portfolio is also looking at brake, wheel and door faults, as well as dangers caused by decoupling.
Freightliner Group has already fitted nearly three-quarters of its fleet. Deanne Haseltine,
Freightliner’s Head of Engineering Compliance, said: “This scheme has already made a positive difference to the whole industry by helping us to accurately pinpoint and identify defects to individual wheelsets at the earliest opportunity.”
A launch event took place at
DB Cargo’s Margam freight yard, which handles around 40 freight trains a day.
The Condition of Freight Vehicles on the Network (CFVN) programme is also developing processes for train preparation, wagon maintenance and reducing human error.