Component services
Over the last 20 years, the conventional railway industry has changed dramatically from a national to an international one. The change in the competitive situation has forced the operators to look for new innovations. Another global trend with an impact on railway traffic is sustainability.
Various solutions are continuously sought for extending the lifecycle of components. Instead of replacing the components with new ones, components that can be repaired should be refurbished and re-installed. The timely availability of refurbished spare parts ensures the high reliability and availability of rolling stock.
A circular economy of components is a reasonable and cost-effective option. Major rolling stock investments can be postponed by up to decades through component maintenance and repairs. In addition, the prices of individual large components are high in the railway sector and their availability is not a given, for example, in the case of equipment used for 35 to 40 years.
Value is created through expertise
Rolling stock components include electric, power electronics and mechanical components. There is a wide range of components. Currently, VR FleetCare refurbishes more than 2,000 individual components each year.
The quality and efficiency of production can be standardised using the Lean method, a principle of continuous improvement. The key to the development of component services is not just “how”, but “what” is done. It is necessary to know exactly how components behave under different conditions or how they react to prolonged maintenance intervals, for example. Adding data collected with digital services and sensors to the actual conditions of the components tells what needs to be done and when. This way, controlled changes can be made to the maintenance programmes, with impacts on the lifecycle costs and reliability of the equipment.
From reaction towards proactive measures
Intelligent and data-driven maintenance will revolutionise the future of component maintenance. From the customer’s point of view, it has undeniable advantages: lower lifecycle costs of rolling stock, improved reliability of components and foresight of maintenance needs.
The introduction of a service that anticipates the maintenance needs of bogies is one of the big steps forward in the maintenance of rolling stock. Measuring devices using sensitive vibration sensing technology are installed on the bogie frame to monitor the performance of the critical components of the bogie. The collected data is transferred to a cloud database, where it is converted into an easily readable visual format. Edge computing analyses the raw data of the critical components already on the way and sends an alarm if necessary. Maintenance can review real-time data on bogie condition using a browser-based user interface and make long-term maintenance plans.
Opportunities provided by data-controlled maintenance
The condition monitoring of rolling stock and railway infrastructure has developed in recent years. For example, monitoring the wheelsets of double-deck cars and the bogies of electric locomotives can produce interesting results for track maintenance as well. The most important lesson learned from all of the various pilot projects is that digital condition monitoring is possible and profitable in railway traffic.
Data-controlled maintenance will be one of the factors providing the biggest competitive edge in the future. Additional digital services, such as bogie sensors, are already basic parts of new and refurbished rolling stock over the next few years. The operation of a single component can be monitored and viewed, for example, its location, mileage and maintenance history. Currently, monitoring is focused on the most critical components of bogie operation. However, as technology advances, the individual monitoring of other critical components will certainly increase.
It should also be remembered that smart services involve much more than digitalisation. Very detailed information can be collected on the condition of rolling stock, but the real value of the service is created by expertise. Successful service providers in the sector will need to know how, for example, maintenance programmes can be developed on the basis of knowledge. This creates value for customers.
Although the aim of digital services is to increase operational efficiency, safety is a priority for railway traffic. Therefore, safety guides all operations, including the digital revolution.