NETWORK RAIL is aiming to boost the number of inspections it carries out using Plain Line Pattern Recognition (PLPR) technology and has opened a second PLPR facility in Derby. PLPR forms part of NR’s ‘predict and prevent’ strategy, which aims to identify and fix faults. The company says during the five years of Control Period 6 PLPR will cover 975,000 miles of track.
A fleet of five monitoring trains, including the New Measurement Train, use cameras to take images of the track and identify potential defects. These are sent to a facility in Derby for examination by NR’s inspectors. The PLPR-equipped trains have replaced manual inspections on 8,500 miles of track, and NR aims to increase these live inspections, boosted by the opening of the second facility in January. The company estimates the use of PLPR has saved the taxpayer £2.2 million so far, with further savings anticipated in CP6 and beyond.
