Wireless technology that monitors the full suite of wheelset and bogie parts is being installed on all of Great Western Railway‘s high-speed trains.

Described by Hitachi as a world-first for digital maintenance, it will boost fleet availability by over 100 days per year.

The system uses Hitachi’s ‘Perpetuum Onboard’ wireless technology in which wireless sensors are attached to the entire wheelsets and bogies, which allows real-time data to be gathered from gearboxes, traction motors, bearings, and wheels. This will deliver significant benefits to passengers and train operators in better train availability, improved safety, and reduced maintenance costs.

Bogie overhaul currently accounts for about a third of maintenance costs, with trains requiring an average of seven days for manual inspection or component replacement to be carried out in a depot.

By replacing periodic inspections with digital monitoring of bogies and wheelsets, downtime during bogie overhaul can be reduced by up to 50%. On GWR’s fleet of 93 trains, this will deliver over 100 extra days of train availability every year, which across the lifetime of the fleet will deliver in excess of 3,100 days of train availability.

The digital monitoring technology has already been installed on some Great Western Railway trains, with rollout across the rest of the fleet taking place over the coming year. The monitoring sensors also have the capability to monitor the condition of the track and train axles.

Angus Thom, Group Service and Maintenance Operations Director at Hitachi Rail said:

“As the rail sector adapts to new challenges, I strongly believe that digital maintenance is a solution that benefits everyone.

Simon Green, Engineering Director at GWR said:

“We welcome the introduction of this wireless monitoring solution, which will help to improve the maintenance and reliability of our high-speed fleet, enabling us to deliver an even more robust timetable and higher quality journeys for the benefit of our customers.

“At GWR we are committed to reviewing emerging technologies and we look forward to working with our partners to assist in the rollout of this digital maintenance solution.”

Paul Sutherland, Client Services Director at Eversholt Rail said:

“It’s great to be working on this project with Hitachi and Great Western and see this fleet added to the list of Eversholt Rail’s fleets already fitted with Perpetuum.

“The system has a proven track record of improving safety, reliability, and being an enabler for maintenance optimisation. We look forward to working with Hitachi and Great Western to realise these benefits.”

James Le Couilliard, Chief Executive Officer for Agility Trains West said:

“The implementation of Hitachi’s Perpetuum Onboard equipment reflects the collaborative endeavours of Hitachi, GWR and Agility Trains to drive innovation and harness cutting-edge technology to deliver long-term passenger benefits, operational resilience, and industry success.”