Public Transport Services

Historically public transport and regional rail lines have taken a reactive or preventative approach to trackbed maintenance with work being undertaken following a failure or on a fixed schedule to prevent failure.

Integrated inspection surveys that incorporate sub-surface mapping technologies provide the opportunity to audit the overall condition of the trackbed and move to more cost-effective condition-based maintenance.

Information generated from a RASC® survey is used for a range of activities including:

• Asset mapping and recording changes to infrastructure.
• Audit of above- and below-ground assets
• Planning and appropriation of maintenance budgets
• Reducing risk and optimising asset life and performance across the network
• Improving the safety of railroad employees and the general public

Surveys are carried out using a Railway Asset Scanning Car (RASC®) system, mounted on any inspection vehicle. The RASC® system comprises an integrated suite of track inspection technologies that create a comprehensive view of the above- and below-ground condition of the trackbed in a single pass through the network.

Available inspection systems include:

• High and low-frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR) for inspection of ballast condition and mapping of sub-surface layers.
• High-density GPR antenna array for 3D mapping of buried services and pavement layers.
• High-speed linescan camera system for detailed imaging of the surface of the trackbed and pavement/slab track.
• High-speed 2D profiling laser to measure the trackbed profile, assets and the surrounding terrain.
• 3D laser system to map cracks in pavement & slab track.
• Area scan (or panoramic) cameras