Braking systems manufacturer Knorr-Bremse has signed a cooperation agreement with German railway company Deutsche Bahn on the intelligent use and examination of train operating and vehicle subsystem data.

The aim of the agreement is to improve the condition-based maintenance of vehicle fleets by using data insights.

Knorr-Bremse stated that the agreement will last for an initial period of three years.

The collected data will be utilised by Deutsche Bahn for the optimisation of its vehicle maintenance expense structures and enhancement of vehicle availability.

Knorr-Bremse RailServices will focus on improving its digital and value-added services, including condition monitoring of on-board vehicle systems, prediction of wear, and the equivalent software support.

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Under the agreement, the current vehicle and system data will be used to bring the desired maintenance enhancements.

The company noted that the additional data will be collected in the future.

Knorr-Bremse Rail Vehicle Systems management board chairman Dr Nicolas Lange said: “In the context of the ongoing digitalisation of the rail sector, data-based products and services have huge potential to add value for customers and enable further operational optimisation of the overall rail system.

“As a system supplier, we are continuously expanding our portfolio in this important strategic area and are delighted to have signed an agreement on the intelligent use of vehicle data with our partners at Deutsche Bahn.”

This partnership will strive to enable the calling of rail vehicles into the workshop for maintenance at the precise point in time when the system or component requires it.

The condition-based maintenance system will facilitate even more targeted and needs-based maintenance cycle scheduling.

The company stated that it has the potential to cut down train downtime by reducing the time taken by the railcars in the workshop.

Knorr-Bremse Rail Vehicle Systems management board member Mark Cleobury said: “The agreement with Deutsche Bahn is an outstanding example of how smart vehicle and fleet data processing and the insights that it provides into the condition of on-board systems can be used to optimise maintenance intervals and costs.

“Ultimately, partnerships like this allow us to work with our customers to further increase the availability of rail transportation.”