UK: Suppliers of geofencing technology expect it to be re-approved for use alongside active railway lines soon, following further testing which is to be undertaken to address some issues which emerged during a trial.
Geofencing systems are designed to help ensure track workers remain within safe areas of worksites. Work planners designate exclusion zones on a digital map, and staff on site carry wearable devices which issue an alert if they stray too close to machinery or an operational track.
Following a trial in Milton Keynes earlier this year, which Rail Business UK has been told was undertaken in a car park, on March 4 Network Rail issued a safety advisory saying that geofencing technology ‘shall not be used as a virtual fence for worker notification (personal warning) on ALO (Any line Open)’.
Issues included inconsistency between system dashboards and physical locations, which suppliers have told Rail Business UK were minor, and varying responses from different versions of the equipment which can lead to human factors issues.
While Network Rail noted ‘this is a temporary setback, geo-warning technologies form part of our future safety strategy’, supply chain sources have told Rail Business UK they believe the announcement was badly communicated by the infrastructure manager. One supplier said potential customers were ‘spooked’ unnecessarily. Concerns have also been raised that the announcement was the result of questions about where within the infrastructure manager the authority for approval lies.
The technology is still approved for working more than 3 m from an open line, and suppliers stress that geofencing is intended as an additional layer of protection rather than the only safety system.
Meanwhile, the main suppliers of this equipment in the UK are also looking at global markets, with discussions underway in countries including the Netherlands, Canada, Ireland and the USA.
