This summer, a new way of inspecting the railway using high-quality images has begun across West London, the Thames Valley, the West and South West as part of plans to reduce delays for passengers.

Network Rail has teamed up with Fugro, after their success in Wales in 2019, who will produce thousands of high-quality images of miles of track for analysis.

The trial is being funded with a £394,000 grant from the Department for Transport through the First of a Kind 2020 programme.

The imagery will be able to measure track position, track geometry, and the wider rail corridor. This will enable any faults on the railway to be detected sooner before they lead to delays.

The imagery survey will capture 97% of Network Rail’s Western route, which runs from London Paddington to Penzance and to the Welsh Borders.

Mike Gallop, Network Rail’s Western route director, said: “It’s fantastic to be using cutting edge technology to reduce cost of maintenance and effectively provide passengers with an improved experience on the railway.

“We are excited to see the survey results and look forward to seeing the benefits for passengers, and our colleagues on the Western route.”

Speaking on the award of the contract, Rikkert Wienia, Regional Manager Rail, Fugro said: “With RILA we have revolutionised the way railway data and asset information is collected; Geo-data is delivered faster, with less disruption to normal rail services and increasing the safety profile considerably for track survey works.”

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