NETWORK RAIL EXPERIENCES DRONES’ POTENTIAL FOR AI POWERED TRACK INSPECTIONS
Experiencing the potential for automated drone survey and AI data capture, UK railway infrastructure owner Network Rail used advanced survey drones to capture critical environmental data on vegetation health and encroachment along a portion of its network.
Armed with this data, Network Rail was able to make data-led decisions on planned proactive vegetation management, improving the safety of its network and limiting delays for rail users, all whilst reducing impacts on biodiversity.
Location: United Kingdom
Industry: Rail
Drone used: Stellaire Explorer
Lead partner: Ground Control
The challenge
Managing and maintaining 10,000 miles of national critical infrastructure
Owning and managing the majority of the UK’s railway network, Network Rail has a vast infrastructure portfolio to monitor and maintain, ensuring smooth and safe rail travel for the UK’s population.
With over 10,000 miles of track, Network Rail is constantly challenged to ensure the network stays clear of risks and obstructions from encroaching vegetation, whilst minimising disruption to natural habitats.
Traditional methods of manually conducting vegetation surveys of railways come with several disadvantages - be it the time taken to manually walk and assess railways, the inherent risks to personnel in operating close to a live railway, and the limited data capture that comes from ground level survey.
The solution
Automated drone survey, paired with AI and data analytics
Ground Control, Network Rail’s leading contractor for vegetation management, opened the door for Skyports’ to showcase its Stellaire Explorer aircraft and data analytics to Network Rail. With the drone, Network Rail was able to take advantage of a fully automated system, carrying multiple sensors capable of simultaneously capturing a range of survey data, such as photography, LiDAR and Thermal, all which is geolocated in 2D and 3D.
The data collected was instantly and securely uploaded to Skyport’s analytics suite, where AI was used to provide near real-time insights. Insights included tree fall risk, tree height and bank slope angles, and were as granular as single-tree analysis, identifying species, crown radius and health.
With preprogrammed flight paths, the drone was able to survey 5 miles of track in a single day with Visual Line of Sight approvals – compared to an average of 2 miles a day by a manual walking inspection.
The result
Better decisions made with higher quality data, delivered quicker and safer
In combining Skyports’ expert drone services and AI data capture capabilities with Ground Control’s expert biodiversity experience, the project enabled Network Rail to obtain a new level of insight about the vegetation and potential risks alongside the segment of its railway line.
Armed with a range of high quality data, Network Rail was able to improve its risk-based analysis and planned proactive management, accurately prioritising what vegetation needed to be treated. By making better informed pre-emptive decisions on vegetation management, Network Rail was able to mitigate unnecessary damage to natural habitats, currently in the spotlight given the UK Government’s Biodiversity Net Gain goals.
With less “boots on ballast”, the service also improved safety, whilst reducing time and cost.