The UK’s rail infrastructure manager Network Rail has started flying drones to monitor 20,000 miles of tracks.
With its partner Drone Major Limited Network Rail trialled the technology on the Wolverhampton and Severn Valley Railway lines, and will now begin development of a wider roll-out.
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A key use of the drones and real-time picture capability they provide is “the capability to dramatically transform trespass management on UK railways,” according to Network Rail.
“Existing response processes will be enhanced by drones operated beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS), helping Network Rail to significantly speed up the verification and interception of trespassers, thereby reducing train down-time and also potentially saving lives,” it explained.
Flying drones above railways has recently been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority, and Drones Major uses “Digital Tethering” to ensure the aircraft only fly in approved areas and do not drift into catenary cables, for example.
The Digital Tethering system uses a “world-leading navigation solution including artificial perception and highly accurate ground-based beacons,” according to the two partners. This technology works even in areas where GPS/GNSS signals are unstable or even non-existent.
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Dominic Mottram, programme manager for national drone strategy at Network Rail said: “The potential for these projects to deliver a more reliable, safer railway for our passengers and colleagues is huge and could even be a game-changer.”
When active across the national network, Network Rail hopes to “significantly reduce” the £1.9bn ($2.45bn) spent annually to fix external infrastructure issues, including trespassers, animals on the line, collapsed trees, and lineside fires.
“Information provided by drones will mean our colleagues’ expertise in maintaining the railway can be focused where it is needed, without exposing them to the risk of the ‘live railway’, and instances of trespass can be tackled much more quickly,” Mottram added.
