Network Rail awarded Loram UK a contract to for the maintenance of its new measurement train. The contract is budgeted for GBP 8 million (EUR 9.4 million) over five years.
The new measurement train monitors and records track condition information at speeds up to 200 km/h. Known as the Flying Banana because of its distinctive yellow livery, it is the fastest train in Network Rail’s infrastructure monitoring fleet, which identifies faults on the railway before they become a safety issue or affect performance.
Equipped with high-tech measurement systems, track scanners and high-resolution cameras, the new measurement train is a converted intercity high speed train that has been travelling around Britain’s railway network for 15 years.
The train’s speed means it can measure large distances in a single operating shift. It covers 115,000 miles (185,074 km) in a year and captures around 10TB of image data every 440 miles (708 km). Engineers use the data that the train collects to make repairs and plan maintenance.
In December, Loram UK completed a three-month overhaul of the new measurement train coaches as part of the infrastructure monitoring fleet operations contract. The train will be maintained at Loram UK’s Derby facility, where Network Rail’s other infrastructure monitoring trains have been maintained since 2010.
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