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After the successful launch of 2 new Galileo satellites, the satellites operations are now ongoing.

3.12.2021 18:11  
Take-off of the Soyuz rocket bringing 2 additional Galileo satellites to the constellation
Published: 
03 December 2021

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 were successfully launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier earlier on December 4 at 21:19, Kourou time – or on December 5 at 01:19 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guyana. 

Earlier today, the 46m tall Soyuz launcher VS-26, successfully lifted off from Kourou, French Guyana, for a nearly four-hour voyage till the separation of the Galileo satellites 27-28 from the rocket. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), which will allow Galileo to deliver greater accuracy to existing users and open up new market opportunities.



The Galileo satellites were ejected from the upper stage of the launcher at 05:09 CET. They are currently managed from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany by the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and its Galileo Service Operator team led by SpaceOpal, in charge of the satellite operations after separation from the Launch vehicle. It is part of the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP)

The Launch and Early Orbit Phase is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core-satellite elements. Over the following days, the EUSPA and SpaceOpal team will be manoeuvring the satellites until the start of the drift phase which should last around 3 weeks till the Drift Stop and Fine Positioning Manoeuvres (DSFP), when the satellites will be placed into their home orbit at 23 220 km. 

Upon commissioning and rigorous in-Orbit tests, the spacecraft will enter into the Galileo service provision.

“Today we can proudly celebrate another milestone achieved by the European Union’s most ambitious and largest industrial project, Galileo’’ says EUSPA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa. “The successful addition of satellites 27-28 to the world’s most precise positioning system is a very important step for our more than 2 billion users around the world and is the result of a robust collaboration between us, the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), and our industrial partners. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the parties involved, who are working relentlessly to ensure the success of the mission.”

Watch Rodrigo da Costa message here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Take-off of the Soyuz rocket bringing 2 additional Galileo satellites to the constellation

After the successful launch of 2 new Galileo satellites, the satellites operations are now ongoing.

3.12.2021 18:11  
Take-off of the Soyuz rocket bringing 2 additional Galileo satellites to the constellation
Published: 
03 December 2021

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 were successfully launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier earlier on December 4 at 21:19, Kourou time – or on December 5 at 01:19 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guyana. 

Earlier today, the 46m tall Soyuz launcher VS-26, successfully lifted off from Kourou, French Guyana, for a nearly four-hour voyage till the separation of the Galileo satellites 27-28 from the rocket. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), which will allow Galileo to deliver greater accuracy to existing users and open up new market opportunities.

The Galileo satellites were ejected from the upper stage of the launcher at 05:09 CET. They are currently managed from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany by the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and its Galileo Service Operator team led by SpaceOpal, in charge of the satellite operations after separation from the Launch vehicle. It is part of the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP)

Relive the launch here

The Launch and Early Orbit Phase is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core-satellite elements. Over the following days, the EUSPA and SpaceOpal team will be manoeuvring the satellites until the start of the drift phase which should last around 3 weeks till the Drift Stop and Fine Positioning Manoeuvres (DSFP), when the satellites will be placed into their home orbit at 23 220 km. 

Upon commissioning and rigorous in-Orbit tests, the spacecraft will enter into the Galileo service provision.

“Today we can proudly celebrate another milestone achieved by the European Union’s most ambitious and largest industrial project, Galileo’’ says EUSPA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa. “The successful addition of satellites 27-28 to the world’s most precise positioning system is a very important step for our more than 2 billion users around the world and is the result of a robust collaboration between us, the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), and our industrial partners. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the parties involved, who are working relentlessly to ensure the success of the mission.”

Watch Rodrigo da Costa's message here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Take-off of the Soyuz rocket bringing 2 additional Galileo satellites to the constellation

After the successful launch of 2 new Galileo satellites, the satellites operations are now ongoing.

3.12.2021 18:11  
Take-off of the Soyuz rocket bringing 2 additional Galileo satellites to the constellation
Published: 
05 December 2021

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 were successfully launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier earlier on December 4 at 21:19, Kourou time – or on December 5 at 01:19 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guyana. 

Earlier today, the 46m tall Soyuz launcher VS-26, successfully lifted off from Kourou, French Guyana, for a nearly four-hour voyage till the separation of the Galileo satellites 27-28 from the rocket. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), which will allow Galileo to deliver greater accuracy to existing users and open up new market opportunities.

The Galileo satellites were ejected from the upper stage of the launcher at 05:09 CET. They are currently managed from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany by the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and its Galileo Service Operator team led by SpaceOpal, in charge of the satellite operations after separation from the Launch vehicle. It is part of the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP)

Relive the launch here

The Launch and Early Orbit Phase is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core-satellite elements. Over the following days, the EUSPA and SpaceOpal team will be manoeuvring the satellites until the start of the drift phase which should last around 3 weeks till the Drift Stop and Fine Positioning Manoeuvres (DSFP), when the satellites will be placed into their home orbit at 23 220 km. 

Upon commissioning and rigorous in-Orbit tests, the spacecraft will enter into the Galileo service provision.

“Today we can proudly celebrate another milestone achieved by the European Union’s most ambitious and largest industrial project, Galileo’’ says EUSPA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa. “The successful addition of satellites 27-28 to the world’s most precise positioning system is a very important step for our more than 2 billion users around the world and is the result of a robust collaboration between us, the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), and our industrial partners. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the parties involved, who are working relentlessly to ensure the success of the mission.”

Watch Rodrigo da Costa's message here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Take-off of the Soyuz rocket bringing 2 additional Galileo satellites to the constellation

After the successful launch of 2 new Galileo satellites, the satellites operations are now ongoing

3.12.2021 18:11  
Take-off of the Soyuz rocket bringing 2 additional Galileo satellites to the constellation
Published: 
05 December 2021

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 were successfully launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier earlier on December 4 at 21:19, Kourou time – or on December 5 at 01:19 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guyana. 

Earlier today, the 46m tall Soyuz launcher VS-26, successfully lifted off from Kourou, French Guyana, for a nearly four-hour voyage till the separation of the Galileo satellites 27-28 from the rocket. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), which will allow Galileo to deliver greater accuracy to existing users and open up new market opportunities.

The Galileo satellites were ejected from the upper stage of the launcher at 05:09 CET. They are currently managed from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany by the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and its Galileo Service Operator team led by SpaceOpal, in charge of the satellite operations after separation from the Launch vehicle. It is part of the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP)

Relive the launch here

The Launch and Early Orbit Phase is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core-satellite elements. Over the following days, the EUSPA and SpaceOpal team will be manoeuvring the satellites until the start of the drift phase which should last around 3 weeks till the Drift Stop and Fine Positioning Manoeuvres (DSFP), when the satellites will be placed into their home orbit at 23 220 km. 

Upon commissioning and rigorous in-Orbit tests, the spacecraft will enter into the Galileo service provision.

“Today we can proudly celebrate another milestone achieved by the European Union’s most ambitious and largest industrial project, Galileo’’ says EUSPA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa. “The successful addition of satellites 27-28 to the world’s most precise positioning system is a very important step for our more than 2 billion users around the world and is the result of a robust collaboration between us, the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), and our industrial partners. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the parties involved, who are working relentlessly to ensure the success of the mission.”

Watch Rodrigo da Costa's message here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Take-off of the Soyuz rocket bringing 2 additional Galileo satellites to the constellation

It’s the final countdown for #myEUspace! Ready to submit?

30.11.2021 11:57  
The prize contest targets innovators and entrepreneurs looking to develop and market innovative solutions, that leverage EU Space data, and for the first time, quantum technologies.
Published: 
30 November 2021

We have many countdowns to look forward to this week, the first being the Galileo Launch 11 taking place 24 hours just before the #myEUSpace deadline! To help you put a final touch on your projects/ideas, here are the nuts and bolts of the "Space my Life" and "Dive in Quantum" challenges.

The "Space my life" challenge looks to create consumer solutions such as mobile applications and services using space data for health, gaming, sports, leisure, tourism, and everyday life purposes. The ideas should be leveraging innovative features of EGNSS and Copernicus in the mobile apps and smart wearables domain, fusing non-space technologies like IoT, big data, artificial intelligence, drones, 5G, augmented/mixed reality, etc.

For example, Galileo’s capability to deliver precise, robust positioning and timing information, combined with IoT, can enhance our lives through interconnected devices. Another example of innovative applications in this area is the exploitation of Galileo’s differentiators – like the High Accuracy Service and the authentication features – of which mobile applications can benefits thanks to the availability of GNSS raw measurements in smartphones.

Previous solutions targeting mass markets were #MyGalileoSolution competition overall winner "Vision Anchor" and #ΜyGalileoSolution finalist "Bit Pet".  

Dive in Quantum, yes that’s a tough one!

Quantum technologies use the properties of quantum effects – the interactions of molecules, atoms, and even smaller particles, known as quantum objects – to create practical applications in many different fields, and space applications are one of them.

Participants are tasked with coupling Copernicus and Galileo with quantum technologies such as quantum computing, sensing, simulation, encryption to enhance space downstream applications. 

With high-speed connectivity, protected communications, and high computing power becoming essential, quantum technologies can address or help mitigate some of the biggest challenges of today’s digital challenges.

Applications addressing the "Dive in Quantum" innovation area shall be submitted only in Track 1. In Track 1, applicants will have to turn their theoretical idea into a prototype of their product, articulating their value proposition and exploring Problem-Solution Fit based on a validation test in a relevant environment. Projects are expected to reach at least TRL 4.

In Track 2 teams are asked to bring their prototype/beta version to a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), reach a functional stage and commercialization readiness and develop a value proposition to meet Product-Market Fit. Projects expected to reach at least TRL 9.

Time is running out but before submitting, remember to read again the Terms of References here. Good luck!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

The prize contest targets innovators and entrepreneurs looking to develop and market innovative solutions, that leverage EU Space data, and for the first time, quantum technologies.

EUSPA makes first appearance at General Assembly of the Copernicus networks

29.11.2021 11:37  
Greek island of Naxos from #EUspace! Photo taken by Copernicus Sentinel-2
Published: 
29 November 2021

The 5th General Assembly of the Copernicus Academy and Relays Networks, organized by the European Commission, was the opportunity to reflect on the 2021 Earth Observation milestones and build the future of the Copernicus networks together. The EU Agency for the Space Programme was present for the first time to present its new mission and highlight Copernicus flavored funding opportunities. 

The two-day event, which took place on 23-24 November, gathered interesting European Commission policy experts, industry stakeholders, and Earth Observation enthusiasts. Distinguished panelists highlighted the importance of the new EU Space Programme policy framework and the potential synergies between the components can offer. Particular emphasis was placed on how Copernicus, in conjunction with Galileo and EGNOS, can contribute to current pressing challenges such as environmental compliance or ice retreat in polar regions.

For the first time after its extended mandate to support the promotion and commercialisation of the downstream Copernicus services, EUSPA participated in the General Assembly.  Justyna Redelkiewicz, head of LBS at EUSPA Market Development, participated in the Session ‘’CASSINI: Moving forward with a more competitive EU Space Industry’’ where she presented the revisited mission of the agency as well new funding opportunities that now also include Copernicus. Redelkiewicz highlighted that the Horizon Europe calls are designed to boost synergies between the EU Space Programme components and blend well with the EU Green Deal. She also sent a reminder to #myEUspace applicants about the December 3rd submission deadline before giving a hint about the upcoming EUSPA Market Report, as it will include Copernicus insights. 

New Space and Copernicus is the real deal!

Interest was sparked during the ''New Space & Copernicus: How can they best cooperate?'' session. European Commission experts pointed out, that relationship between the EU Earth Observation Programme and New Space companies is mutually beneficial. Copernicus offers a vast amount of geospatial data that help them step up their business operations. At the same time, Copernicus can benefit from quality input such as very high-resolution imagery from new space companies in Europe.

Guest speakers during this session included ICEYE, a Finnish global leader in small satellite synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) technology. The company recently became the first European New Space company to provide data to the Copernicus Contributing Missions. Copernicus services will now receive access to ICEYE’s SAR imagery and use it to enhance public safety, border control, security, and maritime domain awareness. Other New space companies included ScanWorld and Auroratech, both of which rely on Sentinel data for vegetation analysis and wildfire detection, respectively.

Read this: Unlocking Africa’s full EO potential with EU Space synergies

#EUSpace is truly global

The EU space economy is the second-largest - in the world- supported by flagship space assets Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus. It is estimated to have generated over 250,000 jobs, with over 50,000 in the downstream sector. The edition of the 2021 General Assemblies was the opportunity to tap on this and present the newly established initiative of DG DEFIS called ‘’EU GLOBAL ACTION on Space’’ aimed at deepening existing and forging new business opportunities with targeted third countries across the globe. Copernicus network members can patriciate in or benefit from webinars and events organized by Global action. 

‘’Propagating information about Copernicus's potential and preparing new generations of professionals to use space applications is fundamental for a successful European Space policy. In this respect, the Assembly of Copernicus Academy and Relays Networks has an important role and will also benefit from the extended mandate that EUSPA has gained in the New Space Programme,”  says Mauro Facchini, Head of the Copernicus Unit at DG DEFIS.

The Generally Assembly meeting is now renewed for 2022 and EUSPA looks forward to it!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Greek island of Naxos from #EUspace! Photo taken by Copernicus Sentinel-2

EUSPA makes first appearance at General Assembly of the Copernicus networks

29.11.2021 11:37  
Greek island of Naxos from #EUspace! Photo taken by Copernicus Sentinel-2
Published: 
29 November 2021

The 5th General Assembly of the Copernicus Academy and Relays Networks, organized by the European Commission, was the opportunity to reflect on the 2021 Earth Observation milestones and build the future of the Copernicus networks together. The EU Agency for the Space Programme was present for the first time to present its new mission and highlight Copernicus flavored funding opportunities. 

The two-day event, which took place on 23-24 November, gathered interesting European Commission policy experts, industry stakeholders, and Earth Observation enthusiasts. Distinguished panelists highlighted the importance of the new EU Space Programme policy framework and the potential synergies between the components can offer. Particular emphasis was placed on how Copernicus, in conjunction with Galileo and EGNOS, can contribute to current pressing challenges such as environmental compliance or ice retreat in polar regions.

For the first time after its extended mandate to support the promotion and commercialisation of the downstream Copernicus services, EUSPA participated in the General Assembly.  Justyna Redelkiewicz, head of LBS at EUSPA Market Development, participated in the Session ‘’CASSINI: Moving forward with a more competitive EU Space Industry’’ where she presented the revisited mission of the agency as well new funding opportunities that now also include Copernicus. Redelkiewicz highlighted that the Horizon Europe calls are designed to boost synergies between the EU Space Programme components and blend well with the EU Green Deal. She also sent a reminder to #myEUspace applicants about the December 2nd submission deadline before giving a hint about the upcoming EUSPA Market Report, as it will include Copernicus insights. 

New Space and Copernicus is the real deal!

Interest was sparked during the ''New Space & Copernicus: How can they best cooperate?'' session. European Commission experts pointed out, that relationship between the EU Earth Observation Programme and New Space companies is mutually beneficial. Copernicus offers a vast amount of geospatial data that help them step up their business operations. At the same time, Copernicus can benefit from quality input such as very high-resolution imagery from new space companies in Europe.

Guest speakers during this session included ICEYE, a Finnish global leader in small satellite synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) technology. The company recently became the first European New Space company to provide data to the Copernicus Contributing Missions. Copernicus services will now receive access to ICEYE’s SAR imagery and use it to enhance public safety, border control, security, and maritime domain awareness. Other New space companies included ScanWorld and Auroratech, both of which rely on Sentinel data for vegetation analysis and wildfire detection, respectively.

Read this: Unlocking Africa’s full EO potential with EU Space synergies

#EUSpace is truly global

The EU space economy is the second-largest - in the world- supported by flagship space assets Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus. It is estimated to have generated over 250,000 jobs, with over 50,000 in the downstream sector. The edition of the 2021 General Assemblies was the opportunity to tap on this and present the newly established initiative of DG DEFIS called ‘’EU GLOBAL ACTION on Space’’ aimed at deepening existing and forging new business opportunities with targeted third countries across the globe. Copernicus network members can patriciate in or benefit from webinars and events organized by Global action. 

‘’Propagating information about Copernicus's potential and preparing new generations of professionals to use space applications is fundamental for a successful European Space policy. In this respect, the Assembly of Copernicus Academy and Relays Networks has an important role and will also benefit from the extended mandate that EUSPA has gained in the New Space Programme” The Generally Assembly meeting is now renewed for 2022 and EUSPA looks forward to it,’’ says Mauro Facchini, Head of the Copernicus Unit at DG DEFIS.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Greek island of Naxos from #EUspace! Photo taken by Copernicus Sentinel-2

EUSPA makes first appearance at General Assembly of the Copernicus networks

29.11.2021 11:37  
Greek island of Naxos from #EUspace! Photo taken by Copernicus Sentinel-2
Published: 
29 November 2021

The 5th General Assembly of the Copernicus Academy and Relays Networks, organized by the European Commission, was the opportunity to reflect on the 2021 Earth Observation milestones and build the future of the Copernicus networks together. The EU Agency for the Space Programme was present for the first time to present its new mission and highlight Copernicus flavored funding opportunities. 

The two-day event, which took place on 23-24 November, gathered interesting European Commission policy experts, industry stakeholders, and Earth Observation enthusiasts. Distinguished panelists highlighted the importance of the new EU Space Programme policy framework and the potential synergies between the components can offer. Particular emphasis was placed on how Copernicus, in conjunction with Galileo and EGNOS, can contribute to current pressing challenges such as environmental compliance or ice retreat in polar regions.

For the first time after its extended mandate to support the promotion and commercialisation of the downstream Copernicus services, EUSPA participated in the General Assembly.  Justyna Redelkiewicz, head of LBS at EUSPA Market Development, participated in the Session ‘’CASSINI: Moving forward with a more competitive EU Space Industry’’ where she presented the revisited mission of the agency as well new funding opportunities that now also include Copernicus. Redelkiewicz highlighted that the Horizon Europe calls are designed to boost synergies between the EU Space Programme components and blend well with the EU Green Deal. She also sent a reminder to #myEUspace applicants about the December 3rd submission deadline before giving a hint about the upcoming EUSPA Market Report, as it will include Copernicus insights. 

New Space and Copernicus is the real deal!

Interest was sparked during the ''New Space & Copernicus: How can they best cooperate?'' session. European Commission experts pointed out, that relationship between the EU Earth Observation Programme and New Space companies is mutually beneficial. Copernicus offers a vast amount of geospatial data that help them step up their business operations. At the same time, Copernicus can benefit from quality input such as very high-resolution imagery from new space companies in Europe.

Guest speakers during this session included ICEYE, a Finnish global leader in small satellite synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) technology. The company recently became the first European New Space company to provide data to the Copernicus Contributing Missions. Copernicus services will now receive access to ICEYE’s SAR imagery and use it to enhance public safety, border control, security, and maritime domain awareness. Other New space companies included ScanWorld and Auroratech, both of which rely on Sentinel data for vegetation analysis and wildfire detection, respectively.

Read this: Unlocking Africa’s full EO potential with EU Space synergies

#EUSpace is truly global

The EU space economy is the second-largest - in the world- supported by flagship space assets Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus. It is estimated to have generated over 250,000 jobs, with over 50,000 in the downstream sector. The edition of the 2021 General Assemblies was the opportunity to tap on this and present the newly established initiative of DG DEFIS called ‘’EU GLOBAL ACTION on Space’’ aimed at deepening existing and forging new business opportunities with targeted third countries across the globe. Copernicus network members can patriciate in or benefit from webinars and events organized by Global action. 

‘’Propagating information about Copernicus's potential and preparing new generations of professionals to use space applications is fundamental for a successful European Space policy. In this respect, the Assembly of Copernicus Academy and Relays Networks has an important role and will also benefit from the extended mandate that EUSPA has gained in the New Space Programme” The Generally Assembly meeting is now renewed for 2022 and EUSPA looks forward to it,’’ says Mauro Facchini, Head of the Copernicus Unit at DG DEFIS.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Greek island of Naxos from #EUspace! Photo taken by Copernicus Sentinel-2

EUSPA launches Research and Innovation (R&I) consultation on downstream applications

23.11.2021 15:54  
Horizon Europe will establish the Union’s space leadership in markets that best exploit its programme’s differentiators.
Published: 
23 November 2021

The EU Agency for the Space Programme, EUSPA, is gathering input from industry and academia to define new funding priorities in view of Horizon Europe.

Building on the EGNSS R&I momentum gained through Horizon 2020, and to include Copernicus and GOVSATCOM, EUSPA launched today a survey to collect feedback from the industry and academia, in view of the upcoming Horizon Europe funding scheme.

The downstream space sector keeps creating new jobs thanks to the exploitation of satellite data. Today, the GNSS market has generated more than 50,000 jobs in the European downstream market. Interestingly, economic activities linked to the need for localisation through satellite navigation systems, including European GNSS (Galileo and EGNOS), contribute to over 10% of European GDP. 

R& I investment will substantially focus on the downstream domain, increasing the use of space signals and data, leveraging the differentiators of the EU Space Programme components to improve the worldwide market share of EU downstream industry and SMEs.

With the present Research and Innovation (R&I) consultation, EUSPA aims at receiving inputs on the needs and priorities for downstream R&I related to the EU Space programme components: EGNSS (Galileo, EGNOS), Copernicus, and GOVSATCOM and in particular information on major technological and application trends and challenges for the next 5-10 years. 

This consultation builds on the "European GNSS downstream Research & Innovation, priorities, and consultation results" gathering updates on GNSS and other EU Space Programme components downstream.

To help us shape the future of the EU Space Programme, please fill in this short survey by December 13, 2021.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Horizon Europe will establish the Union’s space leadership in markets that best exploit its programme’s differentiators.

EUSPA launches Research and Innovation (R&I) consultation on downstream applications

23.11.2021 15:54  
Horizon Europe will establish the Union’s space leadership in markets that best exploit its programme’s differentiators.
Published: 
23 November 2021

The EU Agency for the Space Programme, EUSPA, is gathering input from industry and academia to define new funding priorities in view of Horizon Europe.

Building on the EGNSS R&I momentum gained through Horizon 2020, and to include Copernicus and GOVSATCOM, EUSPA launched today a survey to collect feedback from the industry and academia, in view of the upcoming Horizon Europe funding scheme.

The downstream space sector keeps creating new jobs thanks to the exploitation of satellite data. Today, the GNSS market has generated more than 50,000 jobs in the European downstream market. Interestingly, economic activities linked to the need for localisation through satellite navigation systems, including European GNSS (Galileo and EGNOS), contribute to over 10% of European GDP. 

R& I investment will substantially focus on the downstream domain, increasing the use of space signals and data, leveraging the differentiators of the EU Space Programme components to improve the worldwide market share of EU downstream industry and SMEs.

With the present Research and Innovation (R&I) consultation, EUSPA aims at receiving inputs on the needs and priorities for downstream R&I related to the EU Space programme components: EGNSS (Galileo, EGNOS), Copernicus, and GOVSATCOM and in particular information on major technological and application trends and challenges for the next 5-10 years. 

This consultation builds on the "European GNSS downstream Research & Innovation, priorities, and consultation results" gathering updates on GNSS and other EU Space Programme components downstream.

To help us shape the future of the EU Space Programme, please fill in this short survey by December 12, 2021.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Horizon Europe will establish the Union’s space leadership in markets that best exploit its programme’s differentiators.

EUSPA and EASA join hands to bring instrument flying to general aviation with EGNOS

22.11.2021 16:52  
You can now download the Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation.
Published: 
22 November 2021

Small EU aerodromes and airfields used for recreational aviation can rely on EGNOS to become safer and more accessible. EUSPA, EASA, and the aviation industry joint effort yielded a second publication offering Safety Assessment Guidelines to General Aviation operators.

General Aviation encompasses a wide range of aerial activities from private and recreational aviation, including business and recreational flights, flight training, or flying clubs, among others. Approximately 350,000 aircraft and 700,000 pilots are involved in these activities worldwide, according to IAOPA Europe, which is the European branch of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA). General Aviation flights are usually dispatched from small aerodrome with non-instrument runways where pilots can only land using Visual Flight Rules (VFR), weather permitting. In many cases, these aerodromes do not offer Air Traffic Services (ATS).

General Aviation aerodromes usually rely on only VFR operations and have limited ground infrastructure. EGNOS is a perfect technology to enable the implementation of Instrument Flight Procedures for the general aviation community that brings additional operational and safety benefits without the need to invest in ground navigation and additional infrastructure. Even though the General Aviation (GA) community undertakes millions of flights on aircraft equipped with GNSS-receivers, it is not taking full advantage of the technology. 

Following the publication of (GNSS-based) Instrument Flight Procedures implementation for General Aviation Uncontrolled Aerodromes and non-instrument runways, in 2019, the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published today guidelines for developing a safety assessment for GNSS-based IFR operations at General Aviation. 

The present document is intended to be a supportive guidance material to ease the undertaking of the safety assessment-related activities in the local implementation process of EGNOS-based

 approaches in General Aviation operations. The target audience of this document is mainly the Airspace Change Initiator, but it also comprises airspace users, aerodrome operators, aerodrome owners, and National Competent Authorities (NCAs) willing to support the implementation of IFP procedures based on the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) in a General Aviation environment.

You can download it here: Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation. 

Why EGNOS is the future?

SBAS is becoming the favourite technology for both airlines and airports across the globe. In Europe only, more than 400 airports use EGNOS and the trend is on the rise. The provision of EGNOS services to airfields and aerodromes not equipped with conventional navigation aids increases aviation safety and airport accessibility, especially in remote regions. Accessible airports equal more opportunities for leisure and new flight routes at a regional level with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance. 

Watch this: EGNOS for Aviation: High Precision, Low Investment

EGNOS guarantees safer approaches for the crew and the passengers while lowering the percentage of go-arounds due to poor visibility. As more and more SBASs switch to multi-constellation/multifrequency (notably benefiting from Galileo), the SBAS services offer greater availability to users while guaranteeing integrity to comply with aviation stringent regulations. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

You can now download the Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation.

EUSPA and EASA join hands to bring instrument flying to general aviation with EGNOS

22.11.2021 16:52  
You can now download the Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation.
Published: 
22 November 2021

Small EU aerodromes and airfields used for recreational aviation can rely on EGNOS to become safer and more accessible. EUSPA, EASA, and the aviation industry joint effort yielded a second publication offering Safety Assessment Guidelines to General Aviation operators.

General Aviation encompasses a wide range of aerial activities from private and recreational aviation to flight training, and flying clubs, among others. Approximately 350,000 aircraft and 700,000 pilots are involved in these activities worldwide, according to IAOPA Europe, which is the European branch of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA). General Aviation flights are usually dispatched from small aerodromes with non-instrument runways where pilots can only land using Visual Flight Rules (VFR), weather permitting. In many cases, these aerodromes do not offer Air Traffic Services (ATS).

General Aviation aerodromes usually rely on only VFR operations and have limited ground infrastructure. EGNOS is a perfect technology to enable the implementation of Instrument Flight Procedures for the general aviation community that brings additional operational and safety benefits without the need to invest in ground navigation and additional infrastructure. Even though the General Aviation (GA) community undertakes millions of flights on aircraft equipped with GNSS-receivers, it is not taking full advantage of the technology. 

Following the publication of (GNSS-based) Instrument Flight Procedures implementation for General Aviation Uncontrolled Aerodromes and non-instrument runways, in 2019, the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published today guidelines for developing a safety assessment for GNSS-based IFR operations at General Aviation. 

The present document is intended to be a supportive guidance material to ease the undertaking of the safety assessment-related activities in the local implementation process of EGNOS-based approaches in General Aviation operations. The target audience of this document is mainly the Airspace Change Initiator, but it also comprises airspace users, aerodrome operators, aerodrome owners, and National Competent Authorities (NCAs) willing to support the implementation of IFP procedures based on the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) in a General Aviation environment. “I would like to salute the excellent cooperation between EASA and EUSPA teams in the development of these guidelines. The material an important element for achieving one of the key objectives of EASA General Aviation (GA) Roadmap - to allow safer, efficient and sustainable GA IFR operations in Europe,” said Dominique Roland, Champion for the GA roadmap project at EASA.

You can download it here: Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation. 

Why EGNOS is the future?

SBAS is becoming the favourite technology for both airlines and airports across the globe. In Europe only, more than 400 airports use EGNOS and the trend is on the rise. The provision of EGNOS services to airfields and aerodromes not equipped with conventional navigation aids increases aviation safety and airport accessibility, especially in remote regions. Accessible airports equal more opportunities for leisure and new flight routes at a regional level with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance. 

Watch this: EGNOS for Aviation: High Precision, Low Investment

EGNOS guarantees safer approaches for the crew and the passengers while lowering the percentage of go-arounds due to poor visibility. As more and more SBASs switch to multi-constellation/multifrequency (notably benefiting from Galileo), the SBAS services offer greater availability to users while guaranteeing integrity to comply with aviation stringent regulations. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

You can now download the Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation.

EUSPA and EASA join hands to bring instrument flying to general aviation with EGNOS

22.11.2021 16:52  
You can now download the Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation.
Published: 
22 November 2021

Small EU aerodromes and airfields used for recreational aviation can rely on EGNOS to become safer and more accessible. EUSPA, EASA, and the aviation industry joint effort yielded a second publication offering Safety Assessment Guidelines to General Aviation operators.

General Aviation encompasses a wide range of aerial activities from private and recreational aviation, including business and recreational flights, flight training, or flying clubs, among others. Approximately 350,000 aircraft and 700,000 pilots are involved in these activities worldwide, according to IAOPA Europe, which is the European branch of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA). General Aviation flights are usually dispatched from small aerodrome with non-instrument runways where pilots can only land using Visual Flight Rules (VFR), weather permitting. In many cases, these aerodromes do not offer Air Traffic Services (ATS).

General Aviation aerodromes usually rely on only VFR operations and have limited ground infrastructure. EGNOS is a perfect technology to enable the implementation of Instrument Flight Procedures for the general aviation community that brings additional operational and safety benefits without the need to invest in ground navigation and additional infrastructure. Even though the General Aviation (GA) community undertakes millions of flights on aircraft equipped with GNSS-receivers, it is not taking full advantage of the technology. 

Following the publication of (GNSS-based) Instrument Flight Procedures implementation for General Aviation Uncontrolled Aerodromes and non-instrument runways, in 2019, the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published today guidelines for developing a safety assessment for GNSS-based IFR operations at General Aviation. 

The present document is intended to be a supportive guidance material to ease the undertaking of the safety assessment-related activities in the local implementation process of EGNOS-based approaches in General Aviation operations. The target audience of this document is mainly the Airspace Change Initiator, but it also comprises airspace users, aerodrome operators, aerodrome owners, and National Competent Authorities (NCAs) willing to support the implementation of IFP procedures based on the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) in a General Aviation environment.

You can download it here: Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation. 

Why EGNOS is the future?

SBAS is becoming the favourite technology for both airlines and airports across the globe. In Europe only, more than 400 airports use EGNOS and the trend is on the rise. The provision of EGNOS services to airfields and aerodromes not equipped with conventional navigation aids increases aviation safety and airport accessibility, especially in remote regions. Accessible airports equal more opportunities for leisure and new flight routes at a regional level with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance. 

Watch this: EGNOS for Aviation: High Precision, Low Investment

EGNOS guarantees safer approaches for the crew and the passengers while lowering the percentage of go-arounds due to poor visibility. As more and more SBASs switch to multi-constellation/multifrequency (notably benefiting from Galileo), the SBAS services offer greater availability to users while guaranteeing integrity to comply with aviation stringent regulations. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

You can now download the Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation.

EUSPA and EASA join hands to bring instrument flying to general aviation with EGNOS

22.11.2021 16:52  
You can now download the Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation.
Published: 
22 November 2021

Small EU aerodromes and airfields used for recreational aviation can rely on EGNOS to become safer and more accessible. EUSPA, EASA, and the aviation industry joint effort yielded a second publication offering Safety Assessment Guidelines to General Aviation operators.

General Aviation encompasses a wide range of aerial activities from private and recreational aviation to flight training, and flying clubs, among others. Approximately 350,000 aircraft and 700,000 pilots are involved in these activities worldwide, according to IAOPA Europe, which is the European branch of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA). General Aviation flights are usually dispatched from small aerodromes with non-instrument runways where pilots can only land using Visual Flight Rules (VFR), weather permitting. In many cases, these aerodromes do not offer Air Traffic Services (ATS).

General Aviation aerodromes usually rely on only VFR operations and have limited ground infrastructure. EGNOS is a perfect technology to enable the implementation of Instrument Flight Procedures for the general aviation community that brings additional operational and safety benefits without the need to invest in ground navigation and additional infrastructure. Even though the General Aviation (GA) community undertakes millions of flights on aircraft equipped with GNSS-receivers, it is not taking full advantage of the technology. 

Following the publication of (GNSS-based) Instrument Flight Procedures implementation for General Aviation Uncontrolled Aerodromes and non-instrument runways, in 2019, the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published today guidelines for developing a safety assessment for GNSS-based IFR operations at General Aviation. 

The present document is intended to be a supportive guidance material to ease the undertaking of the safety assessment-related activities in the local implementation process of EGNOS-based approaches in General Aviation operations. The target audience of this document is mainly the Airspace Change Initiator, but it also comprises airspace users, aerodrome operators, aerodrome owners, and National Competent Authorities (NCAs) willing to support the implementation of IFP procedures based on the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) in a General Aviation environment. 

“I would like to salute the excellent cooperation between EASA and EUSPA teams in the development of these guidelines. The material an important element for achieving one of the key objectives of EASA General Aviation (GA) Roadmap - to allow safer, efficient and sustainable GA IFR operations in Europe,” said Dominique Roland, Champion for the GA roadmap project at EASA.

“This is another important step to facilitate EGNOS implementation in small general aviation aerodromes. EGNOS can enable landing with instrument guidance to non-instrumented aerodromes where now it is possible to land just visually. This material is an outcome of a great cooperation of EUSPA with EASA. The general aviation community and stakeholders supported us via their active participation in our working groups.” said Fiammetta Diani, Head of Market Development Department at EUSPA.

You can download it here: Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation. 

Why EGNOS is the future?

SBAS is becoming the favourite technology for both airlines and airports across the globe. In Europe only, more than 400 airports use EGNOS and the trend is on the rise. The provision of EGNOS services to airfields and aerodromes not equipped with conventional navigation aids increases aviation safety and airport accessibility, especially in remote regions. Accessible airports equal more opportunities for leisure and new flight routes at a regional level with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance. 

Watch this: EGNOS for Aviation: High Precision, Low Investment

EGNOS guarantees safer approaches for the crew and the passengers while lowering the percentage of go-arounds due to poor visibility. As more and more SBASs switch to multi-constellation/multifrequency (notably benefiting from Galileo), the SBAS services offer greater availability to users while guaranteeing integrity to comply with aviation stringent regulations. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

You can now download the Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation.

EUSPA and EASA join hands to bring instrument flying to general aviation with EGNOS

22.11.2021 16:52  
You can now download the Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation.
Published: 
22 November 2021

Small EU aerodromes and airfields used for recreational aviation can rely on EGNOS to become safer and more accessible. EUSPA, EASA, and the aviation industry joint effort yielded a second publication offering Safety Assessment Guidelines to General Aviation operators.

General Aviation encompasses a wide range of aerial activities from private and recreational aviation, including business and recreational flights, flight training, or flying clubs, among others. Approximately 350,000 aircraft and 700,000 pilots are involved in these activities worldwide, according to IAOPA Europe, which is the European branch of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA). General Aviation flights are usually dispatched from small aerodrome with non-instrument runways where pilots can only land using Visual Flight Rules (VFR), weather permitting. In many cases, these aerodromes do not offer Air Traffic Services (ATS).

General Aviation aerodromes usually rely on only VFR operations and have limited ground infrastructure. EGNOS is a perfect technology to enable the implementation of Instrument Flight Procedures for the general aviation community that brings additional operational and safety benefits without the need to invest in ground navigation and additional infrastructure. Even though the General Aviation (GA) community undertakes millions of flights on aircraft equipped with GNSS-receivers, it is not taking full advantage of the technology. 

Following the publication of (GNSS-based) Instrument Flight Procedures implementation for General Aviation Uncontrolled Aerodromes and non-instrument runways, in 2019, the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published today guidelines for developing a safety assessment for GNSS-based IFR operations at General Aviation. 

The present document is intended to be a supportive guidance material to ease the undertaking of the safety assessment-related activities in the local implementation process of EGNOS-based approaches in General Aviation operations. The target audience of this document is mainly the Airspace Change Initiator, but it also comprises airspace users, aerodrome operators, aerodrome owners, and National Competent Authorities (NCAs) willing to support the implementation of IFP procedures based on the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) in a General Aviation environment. “I would like to salute the excellent cooperation between EASA and EUSPA teams in the development of these guidelines. The material an important element for achieving one of the key objectives of EASA General Aviation (GA) Roadmap - to allow safer, efficient and sustainable GA IFR operations in Europe,” said Dominique Roland, Champion for the GA roadmap project at EASA.

You can download it here: Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation. 

Why EGNOS is the future?

SBAS is becoming the favourite technology for both airlines and airports across the globe. In Europe only, more than 400 airports use EGNOS and the trend is on the rise. The provision of EGNOS services to airfields and aerodromes not equipped with conventional navigation aids increases aviation safety and airport accessibility, especially in remote regions. Accessible airports equal more opportunities for leisure and new flight routes at a regional level with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance. 

Watch this: EGNOS for Aviation: High Precision, Low Investment

EGNOS guarantees safer approaches for the crew and the passengers while lowering the percentage of go-arounds due to poor visibility. As more and more SBASs switch to multi-constellation/multifrequency (notably benefiting from Galileo), the SBAS services offer greater availability to users while guaranteeing integrity to comply with aviation stringent regulations. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

You can now download the Safety Assessment Guidelines for the implementation of EGNOS-based instrument approaches to non-instrument runways located at aerodromes serving General Aviation.

EUSPA ready for LEOP ahead of Galileo Launch 11

19.11.2021 16:18  
Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)
Published: 
19 November 2021

We are less than two weeks away from the latest Galileo launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), and the EUSPA’s tightly-knit LEOP team is ready for a cooperative EU space mission!

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier on December 1, 2021 at 21:31:27, Kourou time – or 01:31:27 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The 46m tall rocket will bring the Galileo satellites to their new home located 23,222 km above us, in its medium-Earth orbit. 

Role of EUSPA in the launch 11

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will be in charge Launch and Early Orbit Phase  (LEOP) operations which will be overseen by a tightly-knit team of specialists, ranging from spacecraft to ground engineers, from operations to design and manufacturing specialists, and from commanding through mission direction and project management.

LEOP is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft, its travel it into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core satellite elements. 

Let’s rewind to the beginning…

Soon after the spacecraft separates from the launcher, an initialisation sequence will be automatically triggered by the On-Board Data Handling software to bring the satellites to a ‘breathing point’. This is the point at which the satellite’s attitude is stable and pointing towards the sun, and its solar arrays are deployed to provide full charging power to its batteries. At this stage the satellite is thermally stable, ensuring adequate temperature ranges for all units, and a stable link to the ground.

Later on, the spacecraft internal reaction wheels will be tested to ensure that the spacecraft can hold its momentum, and can execute simple rotation manoeuvres without spending its limited fuel in thrusting activities. The teams will proceed to celebrate once the spacecraft uses these wheels to rotate towards the earth to achieve the most stable attitude for its future operations.  After that, and to finish the activities, the satellite couple will part ways and be put into the direction of their own orbital positions, by means of a set of Drift Start manoeuvres.

Altogether, the LEOP will take about 10 days, beginning with a system countdown a few hours before the launch, all the way up to the execution of the drift start manoeuvres (i.e. sending the spacecraft from the injection to its target position in orbit), later followed by complete commissioning and In Orbit Tests, that will eventually lead the spacecraft to entering into Galileo service provision. 

The LEOP operations will be conducted and commanded from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Working together with SpaceOpal and its GSOp consortium (DLR-GfR mbH, GSOC and Telespazio), in cooperation with CNES CSG and ESA, EUSPA is responsible for the different stages of the LEOP operations, which will eventually allow the new satellites to be inserted into the Galileo constellation.

Endorsed by the EUSPA Security Accreditation Board, responsible for the security approval of the satellite launches, Galileo LEOP operations will constitute one of the most cooperative activities between numerous European entities in the space sector.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)

EUSPA ready for LEOP ahead of Galileo Launch 11

19.11.2021 16:18  
Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)
Published: 
18 November 2021

We are less than two weeks away from the latest Galileo launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), and the EUSPA’s tightly-knit LEOP team is ready for a cooperative EU space mission!

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier on December 2, 2021 at 21:31:27, Kourou time – or 01:31:27 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The 46m tall rocket will bring the Galileo satellites to their new home located 23,222 km above us, in its medium-Earth orbit. 

Role of EUSPA in the launch 11

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will be in charge of the satellite operations from separation of the Launch vehicule. It will be overseen by a tightly-knit team of specialists, ranging from spacecraft to ground engineers, from operations to design and manufacturing specialists, and from commanding through mission direction and project management.

Launch and Early Orbit Phase is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft, its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core satellite elements. 

Let’s rewind to the beginning…

Soon after the spacecraft separates from the launcher, an initialisation sequence will be automatically triggered by the On-Board Data Handling software to bring the satellites to a ‘breathing point’. This is the point at which the satellite’s attitude is stable and pointing towards the sun, and its solar arrays are deployed to provide full charging power to its batteries. At this stage the satellite is thermally stable, ensuring adequate temperature ranges for all units, and a stable link to the ground.

Later on, the spacecraft internal reaction wheels will be tested to ensure that the spacecraft can hold its momentum, and can execute simple rotation manoeuvres without spending its limited fuel in thrusting activities. The teams will proceed to celebrate once the spacecraft uses these wheels to rotate towards the earth to achieve the most stable attitude for its future operations.  After that, and to finish the activities, the satellite couple will part ways and be put into the direction of their own orbital positions, by means of a set of Drift Start manoeuvres.

Altogether, the LEOP will take about 10 days, beginning with a system countdown a few hours before the launch, all the way up to the execution of the drift start manoeuvres (i.e. sending the spacecraft from the injection to its target position in orbit), later followed by complete commissioning and In Orbit Tests, that will eventually lead the spacecraft to entering into Galileo service provision. 

The satellite operations will be conducted and commanded from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Working together with SpaceOpal and its GSOp consortium (DLR-GfR mbH, GSOC and Telespazio), in cooperation with CNES CSG and ESA, EUSPA is responsible for the different stages of the LEOP operations, which will eventually allow the new satellites to be inserted into the Galileo constellation.

Endorsed by the EUSPA Security Accreditation Board, responsible for the security approval of the satellite launches, Galileo LEOP operations will constitute one of the most cooperative activities between numerous European entities in the space sector.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)

EUSPA ready for LEOP ahead of Galileo Launch 11

19.11.2021 16:18  
Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)
Published: 
19 November 2021

We are less than two weeks away from the latest Galileo launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), and the EUSPA’s tightly-knit LEOP team is ready for a cooperative EU space mission!

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier on December 1, 2021 at 21:31:27, Kourou time – or 01:31:27 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The 46m tall rocket will bring the Galileo satellites to their new home located 23,222 km above us, in its medium-Earth orbit. 

Role of EUSPA in the launch 11

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will be in charge of Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) operations which will be overseen by a tightly-knit team of specialists, ranging from spacecraft to ground engineers, from operations to design and manufacturing specialists, and from commanding through mission direction and project management.

LEOP is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft, its travel it into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core satellite elements. 

Let’s rewind to the beginning…

Soon after the spacecraft separates from the launcher, an initialisation sequence will be automatically triggered by the On-Board Data Handling software to bring the satellites to a ‘breathing point’. This is the point at which the satellite’s attitude is stable and pointing towards the sun, and its solar arrays are deployed to provide full charging power to its batteries. At this stage the satellite is thermally stable, ensuring adequate temperature ranges for all units, and a stable link to the ground.

Later on, the spacecraft internal reaction wheels will be tested to ensure that the spacecraft can hold its momentum, and can execute simple rotation manoeuvres without spending its limited fuel in thrusting activities. The teams will proceed to celebrate once the spacecraft uses these wheels to rotate towards the earth to achieve the most stable attitude for its future operations.  After that, and to finish the activities, the satellite couple will part ways and be put into the direction of their own orbital positions, by means of a set of Drift Start manoeuvres.

Altogether, the LEOP will take about 10 days, beginning with a system countdown a few hours before the launch, all the way up to the execution of the drift start manoeuvres (i.e. sending the spacecraft from the injection to its target position in orbit), later followed by complete commissioning and In Orbit Tests, that will eventually lead the spacecraft to entering into Galileo service provision. 

The LEOP operations will be conducted and commanded from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Working together with SpaceOpal and its GSOp consortium (DLR-GfR mbH, GSOC and Telespazio), in cooperation with CNES CSG and ESA, EUSPA is responsible for the different stages of the LEOP operations, which will eventually allow the new satellites to be inserted into the Galileo constellation.

Endorsed by the EUSPA Security Accreditation Board, responsible for the security approval of the satellite launches, Galileo LEOP operations will constitute one of the most cooperative activities between numerous European entities in the space sector.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)

EUSPA ready for satellite operations ahead of Galileo Launch 11

19.11.2021 16:18  
Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)
Published: 
18 November 2021

We are less than two weeks away from the latest Galileo launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), and the EUSPA’s tightly-knit LEOP team is ready for a cooperative EU space mission!

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier on December 2, 2021 at 21:31:27, Kourou time – or 01:31:27 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The 46m tall rocket will bring the Galileo satellites to their new home located 23,222 km above us, in its medium-Earth orbit. 

Role of EUSPA in the launch 11

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will be in charge of the satellite operations from separation of the Launch vehicule. It will be overseen by a tightly-knit team of specialists, ranging from spacecraft to ground engineers, from operations to design and manufacturing specialists, and from commanding through mission direction and project management.

Launch and Early Orbit Phase is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft, its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core satellite elements. 

Let’s rewind to the beginning…

Soon after the spacecraft separates from the launcher, an initialisation sequence will be automatically triggered by the On-Board Data Handling software to bring the satellites to a ‘breathing point’. This is the point at which the satellite’s attitude is stable and pointing towards the sun, and its solar arrays are deployed to provide full charging power to its batteries. At this stage the satellite is thermally stable, ensuring adequate temperature ranges for all units, and a stable link to the ground.

Later on, the spacecraft internal reaction wheels will be tested to ensure that the spacecraft can hold its momentum, and can execute simple rotation manoeuvres without spending its limited fuel in thrusting activities. The teams will proceed to celebrate once the spacecraft uses these wheels to rotate towards the earth to achieve the most stable attitude for its future operations.  After that, and to finish the activities, the satellite couple will part ways and be put into the direction of their own orbital positions, by means of a set of Drift Start manoeuvres.

Altogether, the LEOP will take about 10 days, beginning with a system countdown a few hours before the launch, all the way up to the execution of the drift start manoeuvres (i.e. sending the spacecraft from the injection to its target position in orbit), later followed by complete commissioning and In Orbit Tests, that will eventually lead the spacecraft to entering into Galileo service provision. 

The satellite operations will be conducted and commanded from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Working together with SpaceOpal and its GSOp consortium (DLR-GfR mbH, GSOC and Telespazio), in cooperation with CNES CSG and ESA, EUSPA is responsible for the different stages of the LEOP operations, which will eventually allow the new satellites to be inserted into the Galileo constellation.

Endorsed by the EUSPA Security Accreditation Board, responsible for the security approval of the satellite launches, Galileo LEOP operations will constitute one of the most cooperative activities between numerous European entities in the space sector.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)

EUSPA ready for LEOP ahead of Galileo Launch 11

19.11.2021 16:18  
Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)
Published: 
19 November 2021

We are less than two weeks away from the latest Galileo launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), and the EUSPA’s tightly-knit LEOP team is ready for a cooperative EU space mission!

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier on December 1, 2021 at 21:31:27, Kourou time – or 01:31:27 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The 46m tall rocket will bring the Galileo satellites to their new home located 23,222 km above us, in its medium-Earth orbit. 

Role of EUSPA in the launch 11

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will be in charge of Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) operations which will be overseen by a tightly-knit team of specialists, ranging from spacecraft to ground engineers, from operations to design and manufacturing specialists, and from commanding through mission direction and project management.

LEOP is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft, its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core satellite elements. 

Let’s rewind to the beginning…

Soon after the spacecraft separates from the launcher, an initialisation sequence will be automatically triggered by the On-Board Data Handling software to bring the satellites to a ‘breathing point’. This is the point at which the satellite’s attitude is stable and pointing towards the sun, and its solar arrays are deployed to provide full charging power to its batteries. At this stage the satellite is thermally stable, ensuring adequate temperature ranges for all units, and a stable link to the ground.

Later on, the spacecraft internal reaction wheels will be tested to ensure that the spacecraft can hold its momentum, and can execute simple rotation manoeuvres without spending its limited fuel in thrusting activities. The teams will proceed to celebrate once the spacecraft uses these wheels to rotate towards the earth to achieve the most stable attitude for its future operations.  After that, and to finish the activities, the satellite couple will part ways and be put into the direction of their own orbital positions, by means of a set of Drift Start manoeuvres.

Altogether, the LEOP will take about 10 days, beginning with a system countdown a few hours before the launch, all the way up to the execution of the drift start manoeuvres (i.e. sending the spacecraft from the injection to its target position in orbit), later followed by complete commissioning and In Orbit Tests, that will eventually lead the spacecraft to entering into Galileo service provision. 

The LEOP operations will be conducted and commanded from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Working together with SpaceOpal and its GSOp consortium (DLR-GfR mbH, GSOC and Telespazio), in cooperation with CNES CSG and ESA, EUSPA is responsible for the different stages of the LEOP operations, which will eventually allow the new satellites to be inserted into the Galileo constellation.

Endorsed by the EUSPA Security Accreditation Board, responsible for the security approval of the satellite launches, Galileo LEOP operations will constitute one of the most cooperative activities between numerous European entities in the space sector.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)

EUSPA ready for satellite operations ahead of Galileo Launch 11

19.11.2021 16:18  
Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)
Published: 
18 November 2021

We are less than two weeks away from the latest Galileo launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), and the EUSPA’s tightly-knit LEOP team is ready for a cooperative EU space mission!

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier on December 2, 2021 at 21:31:27, Kourou time – or 01:31:27 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The 46m tall rocket will bring the Galileo satellites to their new home located 23,222 km above us, in its medium-Earth orbit. 

Role of EUSPA in the launch 11

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will be in charge of the satellite operations from separation of the Launch vehicle. It will be overseen by a tightly-knit team of specialists, ranging from spacecraft to ground engineers, from operations to design and manufacturing specialists, and from commanding through mission direction and project management.

Launch and Early Orbit Phase is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft, its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core satellite elements. 

Let’s rewind to the beginning…

Soon after the spacecraft separates from the launcher, an initialisation sequence will be automatically triggered by the On-Board Data Handling software to bring the satellites to a ‘breathing point’. This is the point at which the satellite’s attitude is stable and pointing towards the sun, and its solar arrays are deployed to provide full charging power to its batteries. At this stage the satellite is thermally stable, ensuring adequate temperature ranges for all units, and a stable link to the ground.

Later on, the spacecraft internal reaction wheels will be tested to ensure that the spacecraft can hold its momentum, and can execute simple rotation manoeuvres without spending its limited fuel in thrusting activities. The teams will proceed to celebrate once the spacecraft uses these wheels to rotate towards the earth to achieve the most stable attitude for its future operations.  After that, and to finish the activities, the satellite couple will part ways and be put into the direction of their own orbital positions, by means of a set of Drift Start manoeuvres.

Altogether, the LEOP will take about 10 days, beginning with a system countdown a few hours before the launch, all the way up to the execution of the drift start manoeuvres (i.e. sending the spacecraft from the injection to its target position in orbit), later followed by complete commissioning and In Orbit Tests, that will eventually lead the spacecraft to entering into Galileo service provision. 

The satellite operations will be conducted and commanded from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Working together with SpaceOpal and its GSOp consortium (DLR-GfR mbH, GSOC and Telespazio), in cooperation with CNES CSG and ESA, EUSPA is responsible for the different stages of the LEOP operations, which will eventually allow the new satellites to be inserted into the Galileo constellation.

Endorsed by the EUSPA Security Accreditation Board, responsible for the security approval of the satellite launches, Galileo LEOP operations will constitute one of the most cooperative activities between numerous European entities in the space sector.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)

EUSPA ready for satellite operations ahead of Galileo Launch 11

19.11.2021 16:18  
Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)
Published: 
18 November 2021

We are less than two weeks away from the latest Galileo launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), and the EUSPA’s tightly-knit LEOP team is ready for a cooperative EU space mission!

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier on 2 December 2021 at 21:27:25, Kourou time – or 3 December at 01:27:25 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The 46m tall rocket will bring the Galileo satellites to their new home located 23,222 km above us, in its medium-Earth orbit. 

Role of EUSPA in the launch 11

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will be in charge of the satellite operations from separation of the Launch vehicle. It will be overseen by a tightly-knit team of specialists, ranging from spacecraft to ground engineers, from operations to design and manufacturing specialists, and from commanding through mission direction and project management.

Launch and Early Orbit Phase is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft, its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core satellite elements. 

Let’s rewind to the beginning…

Soon after the spacecraft separates from the launcher, an initialisation sequence will be automatically triggered by the On-Board Data Handling software to bring the satellites to a ‘breathing point’. This is the point at which the satellite’s attitude is stable and pointing towards the sun, and its solar arrays are deployed to provide full charging power to its batteries. At this stage the satellite is thermally stable, ensuring adequate temperature ranges for all units, and a stable link to the ground.

Later on, the spacecraft internal reaction wheels will be tested to ensure that the spacecraft can hold its momentum, and can execute simple rotation manoeuvres without spending its limited fuel in thrusting activities. The teams will proceed to celebrate once the spacecraft uses these wheels to rotate towards the earth to achieve the most stable attitude for its future operations.  After that, and to finish the activities, the satellite couple will part ways and be put into the direction of their own orbital positions, by means of a set of Drift Start manoeuvres.

Altogether, the LEOP will take about 10 days, beginning with a system countdown a few hours before the launch, all the way up to the execution of the drift start manoeuvres (i.e. sending the spacecraft from the injection to its target position in orbit), later followed by complete commissioning and In Orbit Tests, that will eventually lead the spacecraft to entering into Galileo service provision. 

The satellite operations will be conducted and commanded from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Working together with SpaceOpal and its GSOp consortium (DLR-GfR mbH, GSOC and Telespazio), in cooperation with CNES CSG and ESA, EUSPA is responsible for the different stages of the LEOP operations, which will eventually allow the new satellites to be inserted into the Galileo constellation.

Endorsed by the EUSPA Security Accreditation Board, responsible for the security approval of the satellite launches, Galileo LEOP operations will constitute one of the most cooperative activities between numerous European entities in the space sector.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)

EUSPA ready for satellite operations ahead of Galileo Launch 11

19.11.2021 16:18  
Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)
Published: 
18 November 2021

We are less than two weeks away from the latest Galileo launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), and the EUSPA’s tightly-knit LEOP team is ready for a cooperative EU space mission!

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier on 1 December 2021 at 21:31:27, Kourou time – or 2 December at 01:31:27 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The 46m tall rocket will bring the Galileo satellites to their new home located 23,222 km above us, in its medium-Earth orbit. 

Role of EUSPA in the launch 11

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will be in charge of the satellite operations from separation of the Launch vehicle. It will be overseen by a tightly-knit team of specialists, ranging from spacecraft to ground engineers, from operations to design and manufacturing specialists, and from commanding through mission direction and project management.

Launch and Early Orbit Phase is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft, its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core satellite elements. 

Let’s rewind to the beginning…

Soon after the spacecraft separates from the launcher, an initialisation sequence will be automatically triggered by the On-Board Data Handling software to bring the satellites to a ‘breathing point’. This is the point at which the satellite’s attitude is stable and pointing towards the sun, and its solar arrays are deployed to provide full charging power to its batteries. At this stage the satellite is thermally stable, ensuring adequate temperature ranges for all units, and a stable link to the ground.

Later on, the spacecraft internal reaction wheels will be tested to ensure that the spacecraft can hold its momentum, and can execute simple rotation manoeuvres without spending its limited fuel in thrusting activities. The teams will proceed to celebrate once the spacecraft uses these wheels to rotate towards the earth to achieve the most stable attitude for its future operations.  After that, and to finish the activities, the satellite couple will part ways and be put into the direction of their own orbital positions, by means of a set of Drift Start manoeuvres.

Altogether, the LEOP will take about 10 days, beginning with a system countdown a few hours before the launch, all the way up to the execution of the drift start manoeuvres (i.e. sending the spacecraft from the injection to its target position in orbit), later followed by complete commissioning and In Orbit Tests, that will eventually lead the spacecraft to entering into Galileo service provision. 

The satellite operations will be conducted and commanded from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Working together with SpaceOpal and its GSOp consortium (DLR-GfR mbH, GSOC and Telespazio), in cooperation with CNES CSG and ESA, EUSPA is responsible for the different stages of the LEOP operations, which will eventually allow the new satellites to be inserted into the Galileo constellation.

Endorsed by the EUSPA Security Accreditation Board, responsible for the security approval of the satellite launches, Galileo LEOP operations will constitute one of the most cooperative activities between numerous European entities in the space sector.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)

EUSPA ready for satellite operations ahead of Galileo Launch 11

19.11.2021 16:18  
Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)
Published: 
18 November 2021

We are less than two weeks away from the latest Galileo launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), and the EUSPA’s tightly-knit LEOP team is ready for a cooperative EU space mission!

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier on 4 December 2021 at 21:19, Kourou time – or 5 December at 01:19 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The 46m tall rocket will bring the Galileo satellites to their new home located 23,222 km above us, in its medium-Earth orbit. 

Role of EUSPA in the launch 11

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will be in charge of the satellite operations from separation of the Launch vehicle. It will be overseen by a tightly-knit team of specialists, ranging from spacecraft to ground engineers, from operations to design and manufacturing specialists, and from commanding through mission direction and project management.

Launch and Early Orbit Phase is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft, its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core satellite elements. 

Let’s rewind to the beginning…

Soon after the spacecraft separates from the launcher, an initialisation sequence will be automatically triggered by the On-Board Data Handling software to bring the satellites to a ‘breathing point’. This is the point at which the satellite’s attitude is stable and pointing towards the sun, and its solar arrays are deployed to provide full charging power to its batteries. At this stage the satellite is thermally stable, ensuring adequate temperature ranges for all units, and a stable link to the ground.

Later on, the spacecraft internal reaction wheels will be tested to ensure that the spacecraft can hold its momentum, and can execute simple rotation manoeuvres without spending its limited fuel in thrusting activities. The teams will proceed to celebrate once the spacecraft uses these wheels to rotate towards the earth to achieve the most stable attitude for its future operations.  After that, and to finish the activities, the satellite couple will part ways and be put into the direction of their own orbital positions, by means of a set of Drift Start manoeuvres.

Altogether, the LEOP will take about 10 days, beginning with a system countdown a few hours before the launch, all the way up to the execution of the drift start manoeuvres (i.e. sending the spacecraft from the injection to its target position in orbit), later followed by complete commissioning and In Orbit Tests, that will eventually lead the spacecraft to entering into Galileo service provision. 

The satellite operations will be conducted and commanded from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Working together with SpaceOpal and its GSOp consortium (DLR-GfR mbH, GSOC and Telespazio), in cooperation with CNES CSG and ESA, EUSPA is responsible for the different stages of the LEOP operations, which will eventually allow the new satellites to be inserted into the Galileo constellation.

Endorsed by the EUSPA Security Accreditation Board, responsible for the security approval of the satellite launches, Galileo LEOP operations will constitute one of the most cooperative activities between numerous European entities in the space sector.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)

EUSPA ready for LEOP ahead of Galileo Launch 11

19.11.2021 16:18  
Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)
Published: 
19 November 2021

We are less than two weeks away from the latest Galileo launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. The Galileo Launch 11 is the first of a series of 6 launches (with two satellites per launch), and the EUSPA’s tightly-knit LEOP team is ready for a cooperative EU space mission!

The Galileo satellites 27 and 28 will be launched on-board of a Soyuz carrier on December 2, 2021 at 21:31:27, Kourou time – or 01:31:27 CET from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The 46m tall rocket will bring the Galileo satellites to their new home located 23,222 km above us, in its medium-Earth orbit. 

Role of EUSPA in the launch 11

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will be in charge of Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) operations which will be overseen by a tightly-knit team of specialists, ranging from spacecraft to ground engineers, from operations to design and manufacturing specialists, and from commanding through mission direction and project management.

LEOP is one of the most exciting and important phases of a space mission, as it handles the launch of the spacecraft, its travel into the correct orbit, gradually switching on the spacecraft platform to test the core satellite elements. 

Let’s rewind to the beginning…

Soon after the spacecraft separates from the launcher, an initialisation sequence will be automatically triggered by the On-Board Data Handling software to bring the satellites to a ‘breathing point’. This is the point at which the satellite’s attitude is stable and pointing towards the sun, and its solar arrays are deployed to provide full charging power to its batteries. At this stage the satellite is thermally stable, ensuring adequate temperature ranges for all units, and a stable link to the ground.

Later on, the spacecraft internal reaction wheels will be tested to ensure that the spacecraft can hold its momentum, and can execute simple rotation manoeuvres without spending its limited fuel in thrusting activities. The teams will proceed to celebrate once the spacecraft uses these wheels to rotate towards the earth to achieve the most stable attitude for its future operations.  After that, and to finish the activities, the satellite couple will part ways and be put into the direction of their own orbital positions, by means of a set of Drift Start manoeuvres.

Altogether, the LEOP will take about 10 days, beginning with a system countdown a few hours before the launch, all the way up to the execution of the drift start manoeuvres (i.e. sending the spacecraft from the injection to its target position in orbit), later followed by complete commissioning and In Orbit Tests, that will eventually lead the spacecraft to entering into Galileo service provision. 

The LEOP operations will be conducted and commanded from the Galileo Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Working together with SpaceOpal and its GSOp consortium (DLR-GfR mbH, GSOC and Telespazio), in cooperation with CNES CSG and ESA, EUSPA is responsible for the different stages of the LEOP operations, which will eventually allow the new satellites to be inserted into the Galileo constellation.

Endorsed by the EUSPA Security Accreditation Board, responsible for the security approval of the satellite launches, Galileo LEOP operations will constitute one of the most cooperative activities between numerous European entities in the space sector.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Galileo satellites attached to their dispenser atop their Fregat upper stage separating from the Soyuz upper stage. The Fregat then flies them the rest of the way up to medium-Earth orbit. (Credits: ESA–Pierre Carril, 2014)

Successful start-ups from EUSPA competitions ready to upscale!

15.11.2021 15:37  
Five selected space-tech companies will present their innovative ideas during the Forum: Alleryade, Krattworks, LESS Industries, Lympik, Traxit.
Published: 
15 November 2021

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) together with the European Business Angel Network (EBAN) are teaming up to boost space-tech start-ups! “Funding Space Forum” is a joint online panel session and fundraising event, where start-ups working with space data will pitch in front of Business Angels, receive feedback and raise interest for funding.

The EU Space Programme has created a dearth of opportunities for a broad range of businesses. Earth Observation data and new, more accurate, and secure GNSS services are emerging that enable start-ups to add value to their products and upscale their solutions or services. The EU is committed to helping businesses at their nascent stage to make the best use of space technology through private and public partnerships. 

EUSPA and EBAN teamed up to further assist small businesses to secure early investments. EUSPA also became a member of EBAN Space board to create synergies between space start-ups and business angels. 

Funding Space Forum will bring #MyGalileoSolution and #MyGalileoDrone participants Alleryade, Krattworks, LESS Industries, Lympik, Traxit together with the EU early-stage investor community. All the participating space-tech companies will have the opportunity to present their business plans in front of a panel of Business Angels, receive feedback and attract investments.

The event will also feature panel discussions on “Space Technology in Europe, what is next? Synergies between EU and angel investors hosted by Fiammetta Diani, Head of Market Development at EUSPA; Tomas S. Jonsson, Team Leader CASSINI initiative, European Commission, DG Defence Industry and Space; Uli Fricke, CEO Triangle Venture Capital Group, CEO FunderNation; Rob Desborough, Managing Partner Seraphim Space Fund, CEO Seraphim Space Camp moderated by Fabrice Testa, Co-chairman Luxembourg Space Tech Angels and EBAN Space Chairman. During this virtual panel session, seasoned space-tech investors and policymakers will discuss trends and challenges in the New Space ecosystem of Europe.

The forum will take place on November 22nd at 17:00 CET. Click here to register.  A matchmaking event with industry is also schedule for the first quarter of 2022.

About EBAN

EBAN is the pan-European representative for the early stage investor community gathering over 150-member organizations in more than 50 countries today. Established in 1999 by a group of pioneer angel networks in Europe with the collaboration of the European Commission and EURADA, EBAN represents a sector estimated to invest 11.4 billion Euros a year and playing a vital role in Europe’s future, notably in the funding of SMEs. EBAN fuels Europe’s growth through the creation of wealth and jobs.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Five selected space-tech companies will present their innovative ideas during the Forum: Alleryade, Krattworks, LESS Industries, Lympik, Traxit.

Successful start-ups from EUSPA competitions ready to upscale!

15.11.2021 15:37  
Five selected space-tech companies will present their innovative ideas during the Forum: Alleryade, Krattworks, LESS Industries, Lympik, Traxit.
Published: 
15 November 2021

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) together with the European Business Angel Network (EBAN) are teaming up to boost space-tech start-ups! “Funding Space Forum” is a joint online panel session and fundraising event, where start-ups working with space data will pitch in front of Business Angels, receive feedback and raise interest for funding.

The EU Space Programme has created a dearth of opportunities for a broad range of businesses. Earth Observation data and new, more accurate, and secure GNSS services are emerging that enable start-ups to add value to their products and upscale their solutions or services. The EU is committed to helping businesses at their nascent stage to make the best use of space technology through private and public partnerships. 

EUSPA and EBAN teamed up to further assist small businesses to secure early investments. EUSPA also became a member of EBAN Space board to create synergies between space start-ups and business angels. 

Funding Space Forum will bring #MyGalileoSolution and #MyGalileoDrone participants Allerayde, Krattworks, LESS Industries, Lympik, Traxit together with the EU early-stage investor community. All the participating space-tech companies will have the opportunity to present their business plans in front of a panel of Business Angels, receive feedback and attract investments.

The event will also feature panel discussions on “Space Technology in Europe, what is next? Synergies between EU and angel investors hosted by Fiammetta Diani, Head of Market Development at EUSPA; Tomas S. Jonsson, Team Leader CASSINI initiative, European Commission, DG Defence Industry and Space; Uli Fricke, CEO Triangle Venture Capital Group, CEO FunderNation; Rob Desborough, Managing Partner Seraphim Space Fund, CEO Seraphim Space Camp moderated by Fabrice Testa, Co-chairman Luxembourg Space Tech Angels and EBAN Space Chairman. During this virtual panel session, seasoned space-tech investors and policymakers will discuss trends and challenges in the New Space ecosystem of Europe.

The forum will take place on November 22nd at 17:00 CET. Click here to register.  A matchmaking event with industry is also schedule for the first quarter of 2022.

About EBAN

EBAN is the pan-European representative for the early stage investor community gathering over 150-member organizations in more than 50 countries today. Established in 1999 by a group of pioneer angel networks in Europe with the collaboration of the European Commission and EURADA, EBAN represents a sector estimated to invest 11.4 billion Euros a year and playing a vital role in Europe’s future, notably in the funding of SMEs. EBAN fuels Europe’s growth through the creation of wealth and jobs.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Five selected space-tech companies will present their innovative ideas during the Forum: Alleryade, Krattworks, LESS Industries, Lympik, Traxit.

GALILEO OPEN SERVICE NAVIGATION MESSAGE AUTHENTICATION (OSNMA) Info Note now available for download

12.11.2021 16:56  
Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) is a data authentication function for the Galileo Open Service worldwide users, freely accessible to all.
Published: 
12 November 2021

The new pioneering service of Galileo will pave the way towards robust Position, Velocity and Time information (PVT) for the Galileo Open Service users. An OSNMA Public Observation Test Phase will follow the publication of the Info Note. 

Robustness is part of the design of Galileo services. The evolution is bringing the need to provide the European Union secure and safe satellite navigation services one step further.

Spoofing is a sophisticated form of interfering and falsifying satellite navigation signals (GNSS). During a spoofing attack, a ‘’spoofer’’ uses a radio transmitter to generate fake GNSS signals and fool a receiver into showing its current location, for example, in the middle of the ocean while the smartphone user is climbing a mountain.

GNSS jamming incidents are reported in very large numbers, the vast majority of them caused by so-called “privacy protection devices” (illegal in most countries). GNSS spoofing (including meaconing) incidents are less frequently reported, but they are increasing in number. A possible explanation for the lower numbers is that successful spoofing attacks are not detected or not reported by their victims for security reasons.

GNSS signal falsification can have disastrous impacts on applications and market sectors that rely on precise navigation such as aviation, maritime, or drones. For instance, erroneous data of a vessel’s position, speed, and direction poses real threats to its operations but also surrounding ships, especially those carrying dangerous goods.

To contribute to the detection of GNSS attacks, EUSPA together with the European Commission is currently testing the Galileo Open Service – Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA). This forthcoming service is an authentication mechanism that allows Open Service users to verify the authenticity of GNSS information, making sure that the data they receive is indeed from Galileo and has not been modified in any way. 

OSNMA is authenticating data for geolocation information from the Open Service through the Navigation Message (I/NAV) broadcast on the E1-B signal component. This is realised by transmitting authentication-specific data in previously reserved fields of the E1 I/NAV message. By using these previously reserved fields, OSNMA does not introduce any overlay to the system, thus the OS navigation performance remains untouched.

Authentication is set to further strengthen service robustness by increasing the capability of detecting spoofing events. However, it should be kept in mind that authentication does not prevent the occurrence of such an event, and does not protect against jamming. Nonetheless, this added layer of protection proposes to be one step ahead of evolving technological trends by amplifying the service’s overall robustness and resilience.

Analytical information can be found in the Info Note that was recently published.

You can download it here or visit the European GNSS Service Centre

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) is a data authentication function for the Galileo Open Service worldwide users, freely accessible to all.

#myEUspace competition deadline extended, take your chance!

12.11.2021 15:01  
#myEUspace competition deadline has been extended to 3 December 2021!
Published: 
12 November 2021

#myEUspace competition is on a mission to bring disruptive, space-based commercial solutions and applications to the European market. The contest invites the participants to innovate not only with Copernicus and Galileo but also with quantum technology. We have great news for all the late birds - the competition deadline has been extended to 3 December 2021, 23:59 GMT+2! 

With more than two weeks left until the deadline, let’s take a look at how you can make the most out of this additional time.

Choose from six challenges

#myEUspace is one of the biggest competitions ever organized by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). The winning prize pool is nearly €1million, 54 teams will receive awards ranging from €10.000 to €50.000.

The contest has two independent tracks and six different thematic areas:

  • Track 1 - From Idea to Prototype/customer validation – aims to turn a theoretical idea into a product prototype/beta version.
  • Track 2 - From Prototype to Product /Market entry – encourages to develop a prototype or beta idea into a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). 

Your space-tech based idea/product should address one of these six challenges: Move Me Smart, Space Up My Life, Our Green Planet, Map My World, Farming by Satellite, and Dive in Quantum. You can learn more about each challenge here

Use your time wisely

#myEUspace competition page is packed with valuable material that you can rely on to fine-tune your application. We have prepared a list of resources, including GNSS Raw Measurements White Paper and GNSS Market Report, for you to get a better overview of how to make the most out of EU Space technology. If you have any doubts regarding the eligibility criteria or the overall process of the contest, take a look at the competition’s Terms of Reference.

Have you already submitted your project? Do not forget that the competition platform allows you to edit your entry up until the deadline.  

Still got any questions? Applicants may send their questions via email to prizes@euspa.europa.eu. The answers and clarifications are published weekly on #myEUspace page.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

#myEUspace competition deadline has been extended to 3 December 2021!

EU-Japan GNSS Roundtable 25-26 November 2021

5.11.2021 15:18  
Scroll down for the registration link!
Published: 
05 November 2021

The European Union and Japan are key actors and partners in the domain of space with rapidly evolving ecosystems. The GNSS Roundtable 2021 offers companies from the EU and Japan the opportunity to explore potential business cooperation in the application of GNSS technologies.

Organised by the European Commission and the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, the 5th edition of the EU-Japan GNSS Roundtable aspires to enhance public-private dialogue, promote business cooperation and bring together established as well as new industry actors. Join the European Commission, the Japan Cabinet Office, and representatives of the private sector in the EU and Japan to discuss how to make the most of our evolving GNSS assets to boost industrial cooperation and technological innovation, and to deliver jointly on the Sustainable Development Goals and the climate objectives. The Roundtable is supported by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and the Horizon2020-funded project, GNSS.asia.

You can expect to learn about the latest system developments and market trends as well as exciting keynotes and panel discussions on GNSS for automotive unmanned mobility, emergency response, and innovative services for ICT, Industry 4.0, and IoT amongst others. In addition, more than 10 companies from Europe and Japan will present how they create innovative solutions using GNSS. 

Moreover, you will have the opportunity to network through digital get-togethers and build new business collaboration partnerships. 

For an up-to-date agenda, as well as registration and additional information, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Scroll down for the registration link!

Green Deal, digital innovation and resilience, takes centre stage at EUSPA’s latest Horizon Europe call.

5.11.2021 12:59  
Staying true to its mission, EUSPA is linking space to user needs with Horizon Europe Call.
Published: 
05 November 2021

The first Horizon Europe call managed by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is now open for submissions. With an overall budget of 32.6 million EUR, the call aims at developing innovative downstream applications that leverage data from the EU Space Programme, namely Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus. The deadline for applications is 16 February 2022.

Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding mechanism that facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting, and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. Staying true to its mission, linking space to user needs, EUSPA will leverage this instrument to stimulate the EU Space Programme operational research and foster the creation of commercial value-adding solutions that contribute to the Union’s policies and priorities. The call focuses on the following three areas:

  1. EGNSS and Copernicus applications fostering the EU Green Deal, total budget: 14 million EUR
  2. EGNSS applications for safety and crisis management, total budget: 9.3 million EUR
  3. EGNSS applications for the digital age, total budget: 9.3 million EUR

The use of other space components such as Copernicus is highly encouraged in all topics. In addition, the solutions may integrate other non-space technologies like IoT, big data, artificial intelligence, drones, 5G, augmented/mixed reality, etc.

Analytical information about the calls can be found here and our press releases are available in all EU languages here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Staying true to its mission, EUSPA is linking space to user needs with Horizon Europe Call.

EUSPA landed in Madrid for World ATM Congress to highlight environmental benefits of EU Space technology to aviation

3.11.2021 14:08  
The contribution of space to green and safe flight operations was a key theme at WATM 2021.
Published: 
03 November 2021

World ATM Congress, the world’s largest international air traffic management (ATM) exhibition and conference, is always the place to be for EUSPA. Aviation experts and market development professionals were present to voice the importance of the EU Space Programme in aviation and its contribution to making the industry more sustainable. Drone demos by #MyGalileoDrone winners took place at Cuatro Vientos Airport.

Greener air travel and cost-efficient flight operations were a trending topic at World ATM Congress 2021. Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, the aviation sector creates 13.9% of the emissions from transport, making it the second-biggest source of transport greenhouse gas emissions after road transport. In line with the EU Green Deal and to put a lid on aviation emissions, the European Union is placing a great emphasis on space technology. EUSPA aviation expert, Katerina Strelcova, explained how EU space technology contributes to safe and green aviation during a dedicated session. 

For greener aviation, #EUspace is essential

Satellite-based landing is becoming the preferred technology for airlines that wish to optimise their routes and fuel consumption. EGNOS allows planes to make flexible approaches towards European airports and therefore shorten the flight path. Thanks to this flexibility, airlines can save up fuel and reduce noise above densely populated areas. 

By enabling aircraft to land safely under challenging weather conditions such as fog, EGNOS helps reduce the frequency of aborted landings and emissions. An estimated 20.000 diversions will be avoided EU-wide thanks to EGNOS by 2025. 

Copernicus contributes significantly to monitoring the environmental footprint of aviation through the Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). This service provides consistent and quality-controlled information about air pollution, greenhouse gases, and climate forcing.

Copernicus data is used to measure and monitor aircraft emissions that can enable to reduce climate impact, especially from contrail formation. 

Moreover, atmospheric data from Copernicus delivers accurate information about atmospheric conditions that affect aviation, for example, the presence of dust or other particles which may degrade engines. When the data are further combined with AI, it can contribute to analytics for increased efficiency in managing aviation fleets and enhanced data for maintenance purposes. This Copernicus data can bring real added value to the industry. 

Safety and accessibility are always a priority

In Europe, more than 400 airports use EGNOS, and the trend is on the rise. The provision of EGNOS approaches offers an alternative to airports not equipped with conventional navigation aids. It increases aviation safety and airport accessibility, especially in remote regions. Accessible airports equal more commercial opportunities for airlines and new flight routes at a regional and international level, with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance. 

Volcano eruptions -like the recent Cumbre Vieja Spain- significantly disrupt flight traffic, forcing pilots to take longer routes. Volcanic ash ejected into the atmosphere by explosive eruptions has known damaging effects on the aircraft fuselage. The CAMS generate atmosphere analyses to help assess the number of dust & particles which can affect the engine performance. 

Read this: EGNOS Safety of Life: Serving aviation for 10 years

Drones and EGNSS go hand in hand

The drone market is booming and is set to outstrip any other GNSS user base in aviation. It is also opening up new business opportunities for application developers in many market segments. According to estimations, revenues from drone-based services are expected to exceed 150 million euros by 2023.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have gained tremendous interest and have opened new possibilities in many areas ranging from mapping and surveying, to shipments delivery to even emergency response.

GNSS is not an option for drones anymore but a necessary asset. GNSS is essential for safe drone navigation, and GNSS receivers are now integrated on almost all new commercial drones as a standard feature. Given the additional accuracy Galileo offers, the EU GNSS is already present in more than 30% of the receivers used for drone applications, and many of them also implement EGNOS corrections to increase accuracy.

ATM was a great opportunity for #MyGalileoDrone participants to showcase the added-value Galileo brings to their operations through a dedicated demo session at the Expodronica of Cuatro Vientos airport. ABzero, the winner of the #MyGalilleoDrone competition, demonstrated a blood delivery while Connect Robotics delivered critical goods and medicine. KrattWorks presented their drone-based autonomous system that delivers rapid situational awareness for firefighters, rescue workers, and police. Most of these applications are already successfully available on the market while others will soon make their impact.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

The contribution of space to green and safe flight operations was a key theme at WATM 2021.

EUSPA landed in Madrid for World ATM Congress to highlight environmental benefits of EU Space technology to aviation

3.11.2021 14:08  
The contribution of space to green and safe flight operations was a key theme at WATM 2021.
Published: 
03 November 2021

World ATM Congress, the world’s largest international air traffic management (ATM) exhibition and conference, is always the place to be for EUSPA. Aviation experts and market development professionals were present to voice the importance of the EU Space Programme in aviation and its contribution to making the industry more sustainable. Drone demos by #MyGalileoDrone winners took place at Cuatro Vientos Airport.

Greener air travel and cost-efficient flight operations were a trending topic at World ATM Congress 2021. Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, the aviation sector creates 13.9% of the emissions from transport, making it the second-biggest source of transport greenhouse gas emissions after road transport. In line with the EU Green Deal and to put a lid on aviation emissions, the European Union is placing a great emphasis on space technology. EUSPA aviation expert, Katerina Strelcova, explained how EU space technology contributes to safe and green aviation during a dedicated session. 

For greener aviation, #EUspace is essential

Satellite-based landing is becoming the preferred technology for airlines that wish to optimise their routes and fuel consumption. EGNOS allows planes to make flexible approaches towards European airports and therefore shorten the flight path. Thanks to this flexibility, airlines can save up fuel and reduce noise above densely populated areas. 

By enabling aircraft to land safely under challenging weather conditions such as fog, EGNOS helps reduce the frequency of aborted landings and emissions. An estimated 20.000 diversions will be avoided EU-wide thanks to EGNOS by 2025. 

Copernicus contributes significantly to monitoring the environmental footprint of aviation through the Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). This service provides consistent and quality-controlled information about air pollution, greenhouse gases, and climate forcing.

Copernicus data is used to measure and monitor aircraft emissions that can enable to reduce climate impact, especially from contrail formation. 

Moreover, atmospheric data from Copernicus delivers accurate information about atmospheric conditions that affect aviation, for example, the presence of dust or other particles which may degrade engines. When the data are further combined with AI, it can contribute to analytics for increased efficiency in managing aviation fleets and enhanced data for maintenance purposes. This Copernicus data can bring real added value to the industry. 

Safety and accessibility are always a priority

In Europe, more than 400 airports use EGNOS, and the trend is on the rise. The provision of EGNOS approaches offers an alternative to airports not equipped with conventional navigation aids. It increases aviation safety and airport accessibility, especially in remote regions. Accessible airports equal more commercial opportunities for airlines and new flight routes at a regional and international level, with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance. 

Volcano eruptions -like the recent Cumbre Vieja Spain- significantly disrupt flight traffic, forcing pilots to take longer routes. Volcanic ash ejected into the atmosphere by explosive eruptions has known damaging effects on the aircraft fuselage. The CAMS generate atmosphere analyses to help assess the number of dust & particles which can affect the engine performance. 

Read this: EGNOS Safety of Life: Serving aviation for 10 years

Drones and EGNSS go hand in hand

The drone market is booming and is set to outstrip any other GNSS user base in aviation. It is also opening up new business opportunities for application developers in many market segments. According to estimations, revenues from drone-based services are expected to exceed 150 million euros by 2023.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have gained tremendous interest and have opened new possibilities in many areas ranging from mapping and surveying, to shipments delivery to even emergency response.

GNSS is not an option for drones anymore but a necessary asset. GNSS is essential for safe drone navigation, and GNSS receivers are now integrated on almost all new commercial drones as a standard feature. Given the additional accuracy Galileo offers, the EU GNSS is already present in more than 30% of the receivers used for drone applications, and many of them also implement EGNOS corrections to increase accuracy.

ATM was a great opportunity for #MyGalileoDrone participants to showcase the added-value Galileo brings to their operations through a dedicated demo session at the Expodronica of Cuatro Vientos airport. ABzero, the winner of the #MyGalilleoDrone competition, demonstrated a blood delivery while Connect Robotics delivered critical goods and medicine. KrattWorks presented their drone-based autonomous system that delivers rapid situational awareness for firefighters, rescue workers, and police. Most of these applications are already successfully available on the market while others will soon make their impact.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

The contribution of space to green and safe flight operations was a key theme at WATM 2021.

From 4 to 6 November all roads lead to EUSPA!

25.10.2021 12:09  
EUSPA Open Space will introduce the agency’s new mission and the EU Space Programme to EU citizens in an open air exhibition.
Published: 
25 October 2021

EUSPA is introducing itself to general public in Prague and the newly created EU Space Programme with an Open Space open-air, flashy exhibition full of colour.

Our daily lives are influenced by what happens in space, much more than we realise. Satellites in orbit allow millions of people to communicate and navigate using new technologies, to travel by land, sea and air, and to develop ways with which we can improve the health of our planet and grow our economy. Every year around November, the Agency used to throw its doors open, to familiarize citizens with its space-related activities through various interactive means. Τhis year, under a new name, with a broadened scope of activities, and while observing the current hygiene rules, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) invites you to its first open-air exhibition called "EUSPA Open Space".

"EUSPA Open Space" is a three-day, walk-through, open-air experience which will introduce visitors to the newly established EU Space Programme as well the agency’s new mission. An immersive experience full of colors invites you to discover the latest applications and services enabled by space. A particular focus will be placed on the contribution of EU space to environmental protection and digital innovation. 

"EUSPA’s new mission is multifaceted, complex and fascinating. We deliver the space-based services of Galileo and EGNOS to a growing group of users; We make sure that EU companies are taking advantage of the whole EU Space programme. We ensure the systems’ operations both in space and on the ground while we also stand next to innovators and entrepreneurs looking for space solutions" says EUSPA Executive director, Rodrigo da Costa. "With the EUSPA Open Space, we want to communicate our work to the general public but also highlight the importance of the Union’s investment in space," da Costa concludes.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 4 to 6 November 2021 at Janovského 438/2, 170 00 Praha 7-Holešovice.

Find out more about the exhibition at the EUSPA Open Space event page.

How to reach us?

Hop on Galileo-enabled trams: 6,8,12,17,25,1 and get off at Strosmayerovo Namesti or take a ride down the metro line C and stop at Vltavska. 

Read the Czech version here: Od 4. do 6. listopadu všechny cesty vedou do Agentury EUSPA! 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

EUSPA Open Space will introduce the agency’s new mission and the EU Space Programme to EU citizens in an open air exhibition.

From 4 to 6 November all roads lead to EUSPA!

25.10.2021 12:09  
EUSPA Open Space will introduce the agency’s new mission and the EU Space Programme to EU citizens in an open air exhibition.
Published: 
25 October 2021

EUSPA is introducing itself to general public in Prague and the newly created EU Space Programme with an Open Space open-air, flashy exhibition full of colour.

Our daily lives are influenced by what happens in space, much more than we realise. Satellites in orbit allow millions of people to communicate and navigate using new technologies, to travel by land, sea and air, and to develop ways with which we can improve the health of our planet and grow our economy. Every year around November, the Agency used to throw its doors open, to familiarize citizens with its space-related activities through various interactive means. Τhis year, under a new name, with a broadened scope of activities, and while observing the current hygiene rules, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) invites you to its first open-air exhibition called "EUSPA Open Space".

"EUSPA Open Space" is a three-day, 24 hours open, walk-through, open-air experience which will introduce visitors to the newly established EU Space Programme as well the agency’s new mission. An immersive experience full of colors invites you to discover the latest applications and services enabled by space. A particular focus will be placed on the contribution of EU space to environmental protection and digital innovation. 

"EUSPA’s new mission is multifaceted, complex and fascinating. We deliver the space-based services  of Galileo and EGNOS to a growing group of users; We make sure that EU companies are taking advantage of the whole EU Space programme. We ensure the systems’ operations both in space and on the ground while we also stand next to innovators and entrepreneurs looking for space solutions" says EUSPA Executive director, Rodrigo da Costa. "With the EUSPA Open Space, we want to communicate our work to the general public but also highlight the importance of the Union’s investment in space," da Costa concludes.

The exhibition will be open to the public around the clock from 4 to 6 November 2021 at Janovského 438/2, 170 00 Praha 7-Holešovice.

Find out more about the exhibition at the EUSPA Open Space event page.

How to reach us?

Hop on Galileo-enabled trams: 6,8,12,17,25,1 and get off at Strosmayerovo Namesti or take a ride down the metro line C and stop at Vltavska. 

Read the Czech version here: Od 4. do 6. listopadu všechny cesty vedou do Agentury EUSPA! 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

EUSPA Open Space will introduce the agency’s new mission and the EU Space Programme to EU citizens in an open air exhibition.

From 4 to 6 November all roads lead to EUSPA!

25.10.2021 12:09  
EUSPA Open Space will introduce the agency’s new mission and the EU Space Programme to EU citizens in an open air exhibition.
Published: 
25 October 2021

EUSPA is introducing itself to general public in Prague and the newly created EU Space Programme with an Open Space open-air, flashy exhibition full of colour.

Our daily lives are influenced by what happens in space, much more than we realise. Satellites in orbit allow millions of people to communicate and navigate using new technologies, to travel by land, sea and air, and to develop ways with which we can improve the health of our planet and grow our economy. Every year around November, the Agency used to throw its doors open, to familiarize citizens with its space-related activities through various interactive means. Τhis year, under a new name, with a broadened scope of activities, and while observing the current hygiene rules, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) invites you to its first open-air exhibition called "EUSPA Open Space".

"EUSPA Open Space" is a three-day, 24 hours open, walk-through, open-air experience which will introduce visitors to the newly established EU Space Programme as well the agency’s new mission. An immersive experience full of colors invites you to discover the latest applications and services enabled by space. A particular focus will be placed on the contribution of EU space to environmental protection and digital innovation. 

"EUSPA’s new mission is multifaceted, complex and fascinating. We deliver the space-based services  of Galileo and EGNOS to a growing group of users; We make sure that EU companies are taking advantage of the whole EU Space programme. We ensure the systems’ operations both in space and on the ground while we also stand next to innovators and entrepreneurs looking for space solutions" says EUSPA Executive director, Rodrigo da Costa. "With the EUSPA Open Space, we want to communicate our work to the general public but also highlight the importance of the Union’s investment in space," da Costa concludes.

The exhibition will be open to the public around the clock from 4 to 6 November 2021 at Janovského 438/2, 170 00 Praha 7-Holešovice.

How to reach us?

Hop on Galileo-enabled trams: 6,8,12,17,25,1 and get off at Strosmayerovo Namesti or take a ride down the metro line C and stop at Vltavska. 

Read the Czech version here: Od 4. do 6. listopadu všechny cesty vedou do Agentury EUSPA! 

 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

EUSPA Open Space will introduce the agency’s new mission and the EU Space Programme to EU citizens in an open air exhibition.

From 4 to 6 November all roads lead to EUSPA!

25.10.2021 12:09  
EUSPA Open Space will introduce the agency’s new mission and the EU Space Programme to EU citizens in an open air exhibition.
Published: 
25 October 2021

EUSPA is introducing itself to general public in Prague and the newly created EU Space Programme with an Open Space open-air, flashy exhibition full of colour.

Our daily lives are influenced by what happens in space, much more than we realise. Satellites in orbit allow millions of people to communicate and navigate using new technologies, to travel by land, sea and air, and to develop ways with which we can improve the health of our planet and grow our economy. Every year around November, the Agency used to throw its doors open, to familiarize citizens with its space-related activities through various interactive means. Τhis year, under a new name, with a broadened scope of activities, and while observing the current hygiene rules, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) invites you to its first open-air exhibition called "EUSPA Open Space".

"EUSPA Open Space" is a three-day, walk-through, open-air experience which will introduce visitors to the newly established EU Space Programme as well the agency’s new mission. An immersive experience full of colors invites you to discover the latest applications and services enabled by space. A particular focus will be placed on the contribution of EU space to environmental protection and digital innovation. 

"EUSPA’s new mission is multifaceted, complex and fascinating. We deliver the space-based services  of Galileo and EGNOS to a growing group of users; We make sure that EU companies are taking advantage of the whole EU Space programme. We ensure the systems’ operations both in space and on the ground while we also stand next to innovators and entrepreneurs looking for space solutions" says EUSPA Executive director, Rodrigo da Costa. "With the EUSPA Open Space, we want to communicate our work to the general public but also highlight the importance of the Union’s investment in space," da Costa concludes.

The exhibition will be open to the public around the clock from 4 to 6 November 2021 at Janovského 438/2, 170 00 Praha 7-Holešovice.

Find out more about the exhibition at the EUSPA Open Space event page.

How to reach us?

Hop on Galileo-enabled trams: 6,8,12,17,25,1 and get off at Strosmayerovo Namesti or take a ride down the metro line C and stop at Vltavska. 

Read the Czech version here: Od 4. do 6. listopadu všechny cesty vedou do Agentury EUSPA! 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

EUSPA Open Space will introduce the agency’s new mission and the EU Space Programme to EU citizens in an open air exhibition.

Smart cities and green transportation modes take center stage in #myEUSpace

22.10.2021 17:01  
Aspiring startuppers, serial innovators, seasoned entrepreneurs can apply  by 15th November 2021 (23:59 CET).
Published: 
22 October 2021

With less than a month left for the submission deadline of EUSPA’s latest innovation competition it’s time for a short recap the ‘’Map My World’’ and ‘’Move Me Smart’’ challenges. 

According to UN projections, urbanization combined with the overall growth of the world’s population could add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050. These trends are pushing the boundaries for resource exploitation and are creating a huge demand for civil infrastructures such as buildings, subways, and train lines, bridges, dams, highways, and airports. Both the construction sector and urban planning are directly benefitting from the EU Space Programme namely from the additional accuracy of Galileo and EGNOS which allows surveyors to accurately pinpoint structures and reference points. Copernicus offers high-resolution images to assess the state of civil infrastructure including dams, or pipelines and track water loss.

EUSPA market report, finds that by 2025, 83% of GNSS geomatics equipment will be used for cadastral surveying and construction applications. As of today, more than 80% of newly manufactured geomatics equipment and instruments use Galileo.

The "Μap Μy World’" challenge of #myEUspace aims at promoting the use of EU satellite programmes Galileo, EGNOS, and/or Copernicus among students, young professionals, entrepreneurs, and small and mid-sized businesses (SMEs), that look to create cutting-edge geomatics applications and solutions. 

Such applications could integrate the use of additional technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented and virtual reality, as well as supplementary remote sensing data sources like drones. Solutions animated through mobile phone applications or other easy-to-use platforms are also welcome.

The challenge is supported by the Council of European Geodetic Surveyors (CLGE). 

Watch this:  Want to know more about EGNSS for geomatics?

"Move Me Smart’" challenge is opening a door for new solutions for smart mobility and smart cities 

Smart mobility is currently under the spotlight as the Union is investing more in its EU Space Programme for the definition of its green and digital policies. The "Move me smart’’ challenge taps on this asking innovators to conceive smart mobility solutions across all transportation modes to improve efficiency and sustainability and increase safety. The proposed solutions should be focusing on:

  • reduction of emissions
  • more sustainable transport means and new concepts of mobility
  • more affordable, accessible, healthier, and cleaner alternatives  

The COVID-19 lockdown measures led to the reduction of emissions in cities, which raised their interest in identifying more suitable mobility schemes when activity returns to normal. In this context, some cities have decided to take the opportunity to build a better, more sustainable, and efficient transport system to support the recovery phase, and look for solutions in space. For example, more efficient cycling routes and their integration in the cities or more applications on shared mobility can reduce the use of personal vehicles in the city and improve the air condition for inhabitants. 

New mobility schemes, such as unmanned vehicles are being developed to meet the emerging needs of transport of people and goods. In fact, parcel delivery promises to reduce emissions in cities and demands EGNSS differentiators to fly safely beyond the line of sight to complete its mission. Moreover, drones and unmanned vehicles now navigate more accurately thanks to Galileo's robust performance. Drone-based solutions like Thunderfly, one of the myGalileoDrone winners, is able to perform atmosphere analyses, leveraging services and data from Galileo and Copernicus. 

On the other hand, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) rely on positioning data, which has now become much more precise thanks to Galileo services. With the help of Galileo and EGNOS, the implementation of ITS is now becoming a reality for transport and mobility companies. The city of Madrid together with Prague was among the first to integrate Galileo’s enhanced positioning services into its Transport System to improve public transport services in the Spanish and Czech capital. 

On the other hand, sustainable and resilient infrastructures are key to supporting smart mobility systems. Copernicus, the EU’s Earth Observation Programme offers a broad range of products and services based on satellite optical data. Lidar images, can, for instance, help urban planning authorities to identify changes in the terrain such as land subsidence or vegetation that could encroach rail tracks. The combination of imagery from Copernicus with the very accurate positioning provided by Galileo allows for the monitoring and planning of critical infrastructures tunnels, motorways, bridges or contributes to more sufficient management of parking lots.

The opportunities offered by the EU Space Programme are unlimited! The clock is ticking, so roll up your sleeves!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Aspiring startuppers, serial innovators, seasoned entrepreneurs can apply by 15th November 2021 (23:59 CET).

Smart cities and green transportation modes take center stage in #myEUSpace

22.10.2021 17:01  
Aspiring startuppers, serial innovators, seasoned entrepreneurs can apply  by 15th November 2021 (23:59 CET).
Published: 
22 October 2021

With less than a month left for the submission deadline of EUSPA’s latest innovation competition it’s time for a short recap the ‘’Map My World’’ and ‘’Move Me Smart’’ challenges. 

According to UN projections, urbanization combined with the overall growth of the world’s population could add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050. These trends are pushing the boundaries for resource exploitation and are creating a huge demand for civil infrastructures such as buildings, subways, and train lines, bridges, dams, highways, and airports. Both the construction sector and urban planning are directly benefitting from the EU Space Programme namely from the additional accuracy of Galileo and EGNOS which allows surveyors to accurately pinpoint structures and reference points. Copernicus offers high-resolution images to assess the state of civil infrastructure including dams, or pipelines and track water loss.

EUSPA market report, finds that by 2025, 83% of GNSS geomatics equipment will be used for cadastral surveying and construction applications. As of today, more than 80% of newly manufactured geomatics equipment and instruments use Galileo.

The "Μap Μy World’" challenge of #myEUspace aims at promoting the use of EU satellite programmes Galileo, EGNOS, and/or Copernicus among students, young professionals, entrepreneurs, and small and mid-sized businesses (SMEs), that look to create cutting-edge geomatics applications and solutions. 

Such applications could integrate the use of additional technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented and virtual reality, as well as supplementary remote sensing data sources like drones. Solutions animated through mobile phone applications or other easy-to-use platforms are also welcome.

The challenge is supported by the Council of European Geodetic Surveyors (CLGE). 

Watch this:  Want to know more about EGNSS for geomatics?

"Move Me Smart’" challenge is opening a door for new solutions for smart mobility and smart cities 

Smart mobility is currently under the spotlight as the Union is investing more in its EU Space Programme for the definition of its green and digital policies. The "Move me smart’’ challenge taps on this asking innovators to conceive smart mobility solutions across all transportation modes to improve efficiency and sustainability and increase safety. The proposed solutions should be focusing on:

  • reduction of emissions
  • more sustainable transport means and new concepts of mobility
  • more affordable, accessible, healthier, and cleaner alternatives  

The COVID-19 lockdown measures led to the reduction of emissions in cities, which raised their interest in identifying more suitable mobility schemes when activity returns to normal. In this context, some cities have decided to take the opportunity to build a better, more sustainable, and efficient transport system to support the recovery phase, and look for solutions in space. For example, more efficient cycling routes and their integration in the cities or more applications on shared mobility can reduce the use of personal vehicles in the city and improve the air condition for inhabitants. 

New mobility schemes, such as unmanned vehicles are being developed to meet the emerging needs of transport of people and goods. In fact, parcel delivery promises to reduce emissions in cities and demands EGNSS differentiators to fly safely beyond the line of sight to complete its mission. Moreover, drones and unmanned vehicles now navigate more accurately thanks to Galileo's robust performance. Drone-based solutions like Thunderfly, one of the myGalileoDrone winners, is able to perform atmosphere analyses, leveraging services and data from Galileo and Copernicus. 

On the other hand, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) rely on positioning data, which has now become much more precise thanks to Galileo services. With the help of Galileo and EGNOS, the implementation of ITS is now becoming a reality for transport and mobility companies. The city of Madrid together with Prague was among the first to integrate Galileo’s enhanced positioning services into its Transport System to improve public transport services in the Spanish and Czech capital. 

On the other hand, sustainable and resilient infrastructures are key to supporting smart mobility systems. Copernicus, the EU’s Earth Observation Programme offers a broad range of products and services based on satellite optical data. Lidar images, can, for instance, help urban planning authorities to identify changes in the terrain such as land subsidence or vegetation that could encroach rail tracks. The combination of imagery from Copernicus with the very accurate positioning provided by Galileo allows for the monitoring and planning of critical infrastructures tunnels, motorways, bridges or contributes to more sufficient management of parking lots.

The opportunities offered by the EU Space Programme are unlimited! The clock is ticking, so roll up your sleeves!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Aspiring startuppers, serial innovators, seasoned entrepreneurs can apply by 15th November 2021 (23:59 CET).

Galileo 10th launch anniversary: The day the European Union broke through the GNSS industry

21.10.2021 9:14  
A Soyuz rocket carrying the first two Galileo operational satellites.
Published: 
21 October 2021

On October 21, 2011 Europe took a major step in its space history by launching the first two operational Galileo satellites at 12h30 CET from Kourou, French Guiana. That day the EU came one step closer to having its own Global Navigation Satellite System.

Galileo is the European Union navigation and positioning system, and currently, the world’s most precise global navigation satellite system (GNSS), serving more than 2.3 billion users globally. To date, the constellation consists of 26 satellites orbiting the Earth at an altitude of around 23,000 km, is 100% financed by the EU and is supported by a range of terrestrial centers and sensors across the globe. Since the launch of the services in December 2016, the system has been going from strength to strength to become the backbone of a series of value-adding services that ensure the wellbeing of EU citizens and guarantee the Union’s autonomy and sovereignty. 

Galileo is impacting the European economy as 11% of the EU GDP is enabled by satellite navigation according to experts. Thanks to the EU satellite navigation system, the Union has been able to boost its digitization strategy, support the EU Green Deal, and drive economic growth. For instance, the use of Galileo in vehicles can reduce journey times by more than 10% and thus contribute to reducing emissions of harmful and polluting substances. Throughout the years, the European Union saw a set of technological breakthroughs from the eCall implementation in newly produced cars to the Galileo Return Link (RLS), a unique feature of the Galileo Search and Rescue service. 

One step closer to Full Operational Capability (FOC)

On December 1st, 2021, two new satellites are expected to lift off from Kourou French Guyana on a Soyuz rocket at 00:35 (GMT). The launch of these satellites will bring the programme one step closer to its Full Operational Capability (FOC). This launch takes place few months after the new Space Regulation entered into force. The Regulation brings an improved governance between the European space actors and provides the necessary budget certainty for the next seven years.

Galileo is continuing to evolve. New services, currently under testing, will soon be available to users opening new market opportunities across various industries. 

With the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS), Galileo will pioneer a worldwide, free high-accuracy positioning service aimed at applications that require higher performance such as drones and autonomous cars.

The Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) is set to contribute to the detection of GNSS attacks. This forthcoming service is an authentication mechanism that allows GNSS receivers to verify the authenticity of GNSS information, making sure that the data received are indeed from Galileo and have not been modified in any way. 

Galileo grows strong thanks to a robust 3D collaboration

With the European Commission at the helm, Galileo is the result of unprecedented cooperation between, legislators, space industry actors and above all EU Member States. The European Space Agency has been a trusted partner in terms of designing the system architecture while the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) as exploitation manager, guarantees the provision of safe, secure, state-of-the-art services around the clock to EU citizens but also to a growing group of users around the world. 

"At EUSPA, we are committed to taking the EU Space to the next level. Collaboration between EUSPA, European Commission and ESA is the basis for it. Each partner has unique and complementary functions and competencies," says Rodrigo da Costa, EUSPA Executive Director. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

A Soyuz rocket carrying the first two Galileo operational satellites.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) was funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated to maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.

EUSPA-funded SIA project is nearing its completion with promising results for intelligent railway asset management

15.10.2021 14:23  
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
Published: 
15 October 2021

Space based services will help reduce 15% of railway maintenance costs, 25% of maintenance unscheduled events and 15% of derailments associated with the rail-wheel interface. To tackle this challenge, the SIA consortium brings together multidisciplinary and cross sector partners (EGNSS technology providers, research centres, IT companies and railway stakeholders) that will co-design EGNSS solutions truly adapted to the needs of the rail sector.

Railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance are estimated to cost over 25 billion Euros per year in Europe, and this figure is rising1 . The distribution of maintenance expenses varies in different countries and organizations. However, in relation to the railway infrastructure, track expenses represent between 40%-70% of the operational expenses, where the defects associated with the rails and catenary are the most significant (30% and 50% respectively). Other major maintenance costs relate to vehicle equipment such as the wheelset and pantograph (typically between 30%-50% and 5%-10% of the overall vehicle’s maintenance cost respectively). These figures are similar for all the infrastructure managers (IMs) and train operating companies (TOCs), which in total accounts for 330 organizations in the EU and 1500 organisations worldwide, therefore incurring over 8 billion Euros in recurrent expenses in the EU.

SIA project (System for vehicle-infrastructure Interaction Assets health status monitoring) has been funded by EUSPA since 2018 with the objective of developing four ready-to-use new services, to provide prognostic information about the health status of railways’ most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs, at the points of the interaction between the vehicle and the infrastructure (wheelset, pantograph, rail, and catenary).

iCatMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors. The service provides information about the status of the overhead line (e.g. geometry of the Overhead Contact Wire - OCW).

iPantMon is intended for TOCs, providing information about the status of the pantograph during its interaction with the OCW (e.g. contact dynamics).

iWheelMon is also intended for TOCs, this service provides information about the health status of the wheelset (e.g. wheel diameter, out-of-roundness).

iRailMon is a service oriented towards IMs and maintenance subcontractors, the service provides information about defects on the rails (e.g. short-wave irregularities).

To enable these services, a modular system with all of the required components from vehicle sensor networks to KPI visualization for the end user has been developed. The value proposition of SIA is to develop these components in the most cost-effective way, i.e. with the use of cost-effective sensors and systems. 

The SIA components include a sub-system for the recording of axle-box acceleration (ABA) data that can be related to defects in the track and wheelset. Another sub-system includes sensors that provide signals to characterize the interaction between the pantograph and catenary. EGNSS- based localization is performed, with real time processing of GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands including Galileo and map-supported refinement using Kalman filter methods in the back-office. A central datahub provides the onboard data management and communicates with the back-office part of SIA, for instance, to send events or detections in the monitoring data. The axle-box acceleration and pantograph data enriched with position information are further processed using component degradation models and analysis algorithms in the back-office. Finally, relevant asset key performance indicators (KPI) are displayed to the user in the visualization platform, with a rich functionality to illustrate the asset status and its evolution using different capabilities. 

To validate the results, pilot tests have been carried out since October 2020 in three different scenarios: one of them coordinated by OBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen), the Austrian operator, using both inspection vehicles and regular in-service trains throughout Austrian rail network; another scenario coordinated by VIAS, a Spanish maintenance subcontractor, using for the installation of the system a maintenance vehicle circulating over Madrid-Córdoba high-speed line; and the third scenario was coordinated by FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), a Spanish regional TOC, using regular in-service trains throughout its whole network.

The results obtained so far are very promising. The aim is to validate the use of low-cost on-board systems to assess the health status of infrastructure and vehicle assets using the four developed services. Part of this success is due to the use of digital twins and AI technologies to extract health related KPIs. Some of the activities within the project contributed to the creation of a tech startup (MainRail Solutions), dedicated to the management of railway infrastructure. This start-up, created by Ceit and Inycom (linked third party of INGECONTROL) in 2020, has initiated its activities by deploying its first commercial references, e.g. tranvía Zaragoza (Spain)  and SFM (Mallorca Railways, Spain) and PoC (Proof of Concept) pilots with other TOCs and IMs in Spain.

The implementation of the SIA system in regular service trains will enable a reduction in the costs associated with maintenance, while keeping the required levels of safety and service availability. The low-cost nature of the on-board equipment and the capabilities brought by the new services can potentially lead to reductions of 10% in the cost of the maintenance associated to the infrastructure’s assets, thanks to a reduction of unscheduled actions and MTTR (Mean Time To React).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

  • 1. Using analytics to get European rail maintenance on track, McKinsey & Company, 2020
SIA has as main objective the development of four ready-to-use new services (iWheelMon, iRailMon, iPantMon and iCatMon) providing prognostic information on the health status of the railway’s most demanding assets in terms of maintenance costs.
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