News

The new technology, supplied by BeenaVision Systems (a leading manufacturer of automatic trackside inspection systems) will automate many of the rollingstock inspection and assessment tasks currently performed manually in depots.

It provides real-time information and predictive capabilities to deliver faster, more precise information on rollingstock condition to plan and prioritise maintenance activities more effectively.

Above: Representation of how the wheel viewsystem will scan wheel condition as a train passes through the site.

Condition Monitoring begins with trackside monitoring structures housing multiple lasers and cameras which scan each train from top to tail analysing the condition of key components such as wheels, brake systems and doors via sophisticated machine vision algorithms. By analysing images of every wagon on every cycle we are able to closely monitor wear rates and move to a more predictive maintenance model.

Once fully operational on the CQCN, the technology will be able to:

• electronically inspect and assess rollingstock condition
• measure and assess components and predict when replacement will be required
• alert Rollingstock Defect Coordinators via text message and email immediately for serious conditions
• consolidate and manage all wayside detection data; and
• automatically generate maintenance work orders based on the analysis of the condition monitoring data.

General Manager East Coast HarryOtchenash said this technology is about having access to the right data in real-time, so we can be more proactive with our maintenance. It will also enable greater availability and asset productivity for the corridor, which is key to lowering our operating and maintenance costs.

Additional benefits from this technology include the reduction of component spend by running trains to their full life and replacing whilst on-train, as well as the reduction in maintenance yard shunts providing opportunity for improvements to yard operations and cycle times.

The new technology was installed in the Blackwater System at Kalapa in February and the next site is planned for Wandoo in the Goonyella System.

The full CQCN system roll out should be completed by June 2015 with full technical system support by early 2016.