While track temperature is a well known parameter when it comes to establishing the limits of a network, actually measuring it and reporting it can be anything but simple.
It is something that has been monitored almost as long as track has existed. But is it being done right?
Aptella is the local distributor of Senceive technology across Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. With the technology, operators can have better insight into track temperature than ever before.
When compared with traditional monitoring methods that use optical total stations, wireless solutions offer greater flexibility and options to scale to even the largest of projects.
The small nodes and sensors can be mounted to any surface and have a 10 to 15-year battery life, making them suitable for large projects and hazardous or inaccessible landscapes as they require less maintenance than traditional methods.
Andrew Jones, market development manager at Aptella, said the system has been ruggedised to suit the rail environment and after 17 or so years it has established itself in this space.
“Aside from being able to monitor track geometry, it has sensors which monitor ambient air temperature and the track surface temperature,” he said.
“This sensor will report the temperature every 30 minutes and can be the first indicator to a network operator that they are beginning to get to a critical zone.
“Currently, some rail operators are utilising ambient air temperature data from the Bureau of Meteorology and when it hits a specific ambient temperature, they will slow the network, which can be inaccurate.”
Jones explained that these sensors can allow the operator to get a better indication of how the track is reacting to the heat. It also provides that data more regularly than what is available from the bureau. The Senceive system can have three levels, beginning with the temperature sensing capability.
“The sensor also has an inbuilt tilt sensor to provide an indication of track going out of position,” he said.
“The sensors can recognise lateral movement, which is often the likelier scenario in high temperatures and something operators will want to verify.
“The third level of escalation is the ability to couple a camera to the sensor to take photography of the track and give the operator visual confirmation of an issue if they so desire.”
Jones said these three optional levels allow greater decision-making without needing to mobilise teams for a visual inspection. They also allow for greater data collation, giving insights into how close track may have gotten to a threshold across a period.
The future
Track deformation, along with track temperature, play a major role in derailments. Notwithstanding the human aspect of this, it can have major commercial risk for a business.
“This is what we are trying to convey to the industry, track derailments are real, they are recent, and they are expensive,” Jones said.
“It is a reputational risk for heavy haul and freight operators, particularly in the mining sector, as people are often looking for reasons to criticise them for any mistake that they make.
“I think by virtue more trains are becoming automated and it is important that operators have greater insight into their track performance than in the past because they lose that human interface. This is where the Senceive technology comes into play.”
Jones said a changing climate is posing more challenges to the rail network than what has been seen in the past.
In late 2023, severe weather and heavy rains across North Queensland impacted the rail network, forcing closures across the North Coast and Kuranda Range lines.
The Kuranda line remained closed for more than two months before reopening.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has completed several culvert upgrades across South Australia on the vital East-West rail corridor to help prepare the region for more intense weather events.
Heather Parry, Director Infrastructure Projects, ARTC spoke about the important work.
“As extreme weather events become more common, it is vital that we invest in strengthening infrastructure to improve the resilience and reliability of essential national rail infrastructure and ensure network reliability for our customers,” she said.
Jones said that the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) cannot realistically provide the localised forecast that may impact a rail corridor.
“There have been events where track is majorly affected and the BOM outlook shows less rainfall, but these high intensity events can affect small sections of track,” he said.
“This is what is going to become really tough for operators to track and predict. If they have low lying track or bridges these sensors can provide far greater insight to potential areas of concern.”
Tailoring a solution
Jones noted the differences in Australia’s diverse track monitoring requirements, but said that Aptella believes the principles of installation remain similar across all.
“Every time we install a sensor in the track, we are ensuring it has the highest form of reliability once it is operational,” he said.
“At the end of the day, the installation of the sensor is the same across the board, they have the system well established, so we do not need to change it much.”
Jones is excited for this technology to become more widely used in Australia and believes it will improve as it is rolled out.
“As Senceive is continually tweaking and making modifications around the product to improve it, it can only get better from here,” he said.
“We can provide constant feedback to Senceive from our Australian and New Zealand market and that is where the real benefit comes in. The more it is utilised here, the better it will get overall.”
Jones said one of the developments that has excited him is the ability for geotechnical events to trigger the system.
“Instead of just getting a reading every 30 minutes or so, it can notify you the moment it recognises when an embankment lets go and send a reading straight to the control centre,” he said.
“If we have cameras on site, they can then take imagery to show the extent of the damage and again, protect any trains that may be approaching the area.
“All of these parts of the Senceive technology allow the operator greater visibility, levels of safety and, in turn, a network that can be trusted.”
