AUSTRALIA: Queensland Rail and Zetica have begun analysing ground-penetrating radar data to map the condition of unseen parts of the state’s 4 600 km railway network.
The GPR equipment was mounted on a Queensland Rail vehicle during a measuring campaign which ran February to April 2023. Analysis of the data is making use of AI to help identify sleepers and rail fasteners.
‘The radar helps us build a more accurate picture of the network which is incredibly valuable to our safety and performance teams’, explained Neil Backer, head of the South East Queensland rail network.
‘We are now able to pre-empt potential track problems years in advance. Without this technology we would need to undertake asset sampling and therefore require access to large sections of track, meaning closures and disruptions to services. Now we’re getting pin-point accurate data to allow us to perform ballast and formation assessment without those extensive track closures.’
