• About
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • List Stock
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Newsletter
SUBSCRIBE
MARKETPLACE
  • Latest News
    • Victoria
    • New South Wales
    • Queensland
    • Northern Territory
    • Western Australia
    • South Australia
    • Tasmania
  • All Sections
    • Industry news
      • Appointments
      • Events and conferences
      • Rail industry events
      • Grants and Budgets
      • Regulations
      • Safety
      • Social Governance
      • Sustainability
    • Major Projects & Infrastructure
      • Fast Rail
      • Freight Rail
      • Heavy Haul
      • Heritage Trains
      • Intermodal
      • Light Rail
      • Operations and Maintenance
      • Passenger Rail
      • Plant and Equipment
      • Railway Crossings
      • Rolling stock and manufacturing
      • Track and civil construction
      • Train Stations
      • Workforce
    • Rail Technology
      • AI and Communications
      • Condition Monitoring
      • Cybersecurity
      • Decarbonisation
      • Digitalisation
      • Research and Development
      • Signalling
      • Standards
      • Whitepapers
    • Industry organisations
      • ARA
      • Australian Logistics Council
      • ONRSR
      • PWI
      • RISSB
      • RTAA
  • Rail Directory
No Results
View All Results
  • Latest News
    • Victoria
    • New South Wales
    • Queensland
    • Northern Territory
    • Western Australia
    • South Australia
    • Tasmania
  • All Sections
    • Industry news
      • Appointments
      • Events and conferences
      • Rail industry events
      • Grants and Budgets
      • Regulations
      • Safety
      • Social Governance
      • Sustainability
    • Major Projects & Infrastructure
      • Fast Rail
      • Freight Rail
      • Heavy Haul
      • Heritage Trains
      • Intermodal
      • Light Rail
      • Operations and Maintenance
      • Passenger Rail
      • Plant and Equipment
      • Railway Crossings
      • Rolling stock and manufacturing
      • Track and civil construction
      • Train Stations
      • Workforce
    • Rail Technology
      • AI and Communications
      • Condition Monitoring
      • Cybersecurity
      • Decarbonisation
      • Digitalisation
      • Research and Development
      • Signalling
      • Standards
      • Whitepapers
    • Industry organisations
      • ARA
      • Australian Logistics Council
      • ONRSR
      • PWI
      • RISSB
      • RTAA
  • Rail Directory
No Results
View All Results
Home

IRT: leading technology development for mining

by Staff Writer
February 29, 2012
in Engineering, Freight Rail, Passenger Rail, Rail Supply, Rolling stock & Rail Vehicle Design, Technology and IT
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
en.wikipedia.org

en.wikipedia.org

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

While the Australian economy is enjoying a fortunate position due to the thriving mining industry, research and technology have been integral factors which have enabled the mining industry to reach its current position.

As part of one of the main technology service providers for the railway industry, the personnel at the Institute of Railway Technology (IRT) at Monash University have been supporting the mining industry’s railway operations over the last four decades. IRT is continuously developing new technologies to support increasing productivity and safety requirements at the same time as reducing risks and costs, ultimately improving the bottom line of their clients.

The latest technology IRT has developed is the instrumented revenue vehicle which is a fully flexible automated measurement platform to continuously monitor and provide feedback on both rail condition and train operation. This technology is designed to be installed in standard vehicles which are embedded within a normal operation.

The IRT instrumented vehicle technology has several key advantages over previous maintenance inspection methods. With the objective of increasing production rates, mining operations are often under pressure to reduce railway track downtime. The ramifications of reducing track downtime are that it would minimize traditional track measurements and maintenance activities. This could result in a significant increase in operational risks because of a lack of maintenance and an inability to identify deterioration of track condition in a timely manner.

IRT’s instrumented vehicle technology measures the condition of a railway system during normal rail operations without requiring any track downtime. In addition, IRT’s technology measures the dynamic responses of normal vehicles during loaded and empty operating conditions under standard speed profiles. Unlike previous track recording vehicle measurements, IRT technology measurements are a direct indication of the loads being imposed on the rail network in a usual operating environment.

By Ravi Ravitharan*

It is also important to note that the information collected using the IRT’s instrumented vehicletechnology is available for railway operations within a twelve hour period. It is anticipated that in the near future real time reporting of track and train related issues would be also available.

The above technology is widely used in railway systems in mining operations and now available to all railway operations including passenger and freight, to assist with both track and rolling stock management.

The IRT instrumented vehicle technology measurements have shown an excellent correlation with track inspector findings. Now these measurements are being used extensively for track maintenance activities, and to restrict line speed to mitigate damage to and risk from deterioration of the track structure.

Assessment of the effectiveness of maintenance operations, operational planning and maintenance programming are other benefits of the new technology IRT has developed.

IRT’s instrumented vehicle technology has also been used for analysis of train driving strategies and in-train forces, train driver training, derailment investigations, analysis of the dynamic effect on bridges, dumper indexing for minimization of coupler loads and assistance with the design of new rolling stock.

IRT, the premier track and vehicle railway engineering research centre in Australia, focuses on developing new technologies that could be integrated into existing processes to provide rail operators with the ability to effectively manage their resources.

*Ravi Ravitharan is director, Institute of Railway Technology, Monash University

Heavy Haul Rail
28th – 29th August 2012 | City Hall Newcastle
For more information email: kara.clifton@informa.com.au

14

$109,890

2017 OMME MONITOR OMME 2100 EP - 21M TRAILER MOUNTED LIFT

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
6

POA

2024 HYDREMA MX18G

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Bibra Lake, WA

08 6500 0937
MORE DETAILS
Premium Ad
11

POA

2021 TADANO AT200 S Super Deck

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Lytton, QLD

08 6500 0950
MORE DETAILS
Premium Ad
14

POA

2023 TADANO AT 300CG

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Lytton, QLD

08 6500 0950
MORE DETAILS
Premium Ad
14

POA

2021 TADANO AT 157CG

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Lytton, QLD

08 6500 0950
MORE DETAILS
20

$252,890

2019 PLATFORM BASKET MONITOR 2714 D - 27M SPIDER LIFT

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
14

$289,900

GSR MONITOR GSR E290PX TRUCK MOUNTED BOOM LIFT - PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TRUCK

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
17

$339,900

2020 PLATFORM BASKET MONITOR - 3315 LBD - 33M HYBRID SPIDER LIFT

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
24

$264,000

2019 SOCAGE SOCAGE T320 TRUCK MOUNTED BOOM LIFT - (BUILT & READY)

  • » Listing Type: New
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
20

$181,390

2020 OMME MONITOR OMME 2100 EP - 21M TRAILER MOUNTED LIFT

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
22

$197,890

2021 PLATFORM BASKET MONITOR 2095 LBD - 20M HYBRID SPIDER LIFT

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS
26

$258,500

2021 SOCAGE T320

  • » Listing Type: Used
Location marker The shape of a location marker

Seven Hills, NSW

02 8315 3992
MORE DETAILS

Related Posts

Luke Scanlan (Aurizon), Andrew Adam (ITC), George Lippiatt (Aurizon) and Leigh Cook (ITC). Image: ITC

Aurizon signs major agreement with Intermodal Terminal Company

by Kayla Walsh
July 15, 2025

Aurizon has signed an agreement with Intermodal Terminal Company for the utilisation of the Melbourne Intermodal Terminal (MIT) for up...

Knorr-Bremse provides HVAC units to rail operators around the world. Image: Knorr-Bremse

Big changes coming for air conditioning in passenger trains

by Kayla Walsh
July 4, 2025

Australia’s rail operators are facing a major challenge – the refrigerants that currently keep passengers cool are heading for extinction. Under...

The Metro Tunnel is set to offically open later this year. Image: Victorian Government

First end-to-end Metro Tunnel tests to take place

by Kayla Walsh
June 12, 2025

Test trains will complete the first full practice run from East Packenham through the new Metro Tunnel to Sunbury in Melbourne...

Join our newsletter

View our privacy policy, collection notice and terms and conditions to understand how we use your personal information.
Rail Express is Australia’s authoritative business to business rail publication. Updated daily, Rail Express provides uniquely extensive and comprehensive balanced coverage of breaking news and trends in key areas such as infrastructure, investment, government policy, regulatory issues and technical innovation.

Subscribe to our newsletter

View our privacy policy, collection notice and terms and conditions to understand how we use your personal information.

About Rail Express

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Latest Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Collection Notice

Popular Topics

  • Events
  • Passenger Rail
  • Freight Rail
  • Engineering
  • Safety, Standards & Regulation
  • Operations & Maintenance

Our TraderAds Network

  • Arbor Age
  • Australian Car Mechanic
  • Australian Mining
  • Australian Resources & Investment
  • Big Rigs
  • Bulk Handling Review
  • Bus News
  • Cranes & Lifting
  • Earthmoving Equipment Magazine
  • EcoGeneration
  • Energy Today
  • Food & Beverage
  • Fully Loaded
  • Global Trailer
  • Inside Construction
  • Inside Waste
  • Inside Water
  • Landscape Contractor Magazine
  • Manufacturers' Monthly
  • MHD Supply Chain
  • National Collision Repairer
  • OwnerDriver
  • Power Torque
  • Prime Mover Magazine
  • Quarry
  • Roads Online
  • Rail Express
  • Safe To Work
  • The Australian Pipeliner
  • Trade Earthmovers
  • Trade Farm Machinery
  • Trade Plant Equipment
  • Trade Trucks
  • Trade Unique Cars
  • Tradie Magazine
  • Trailer Magazine
  • Trenchless Australasia
  • Waste Management Review

© 2025 All Rights Reserved. All content published on this site is the property of Prime Creative Media. Unauthorised reproduction is prohibited

No Results
View All Results
NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE
MARKETPLACE
  • Latest News
    • Victoria
    • New South Wales
    • Queensland
    • Northern Territory
    • Western Australia
    • South Australia
    • Tasmania
  • All Sections
    • Industry news
      • Appointments
      • Events and conferences
      • Rail industry events
      • Grants and Budgets
      • Regulations
      • Safety
      • Social Governance
      • Sustainability
    • Major Projects & Infrastructure
      • Fast Rail
      • Freight Rail
      • Heavy Haul
      • Heritage Trains
      • Intermodal
      • Light Rail
      • Operations and Maintenance
      • Passenger Rail
      • Plant and Equipment
      • Railway Crossings
      • Rolling stock and manufacturing
      • Track and civil construction
      • Train Stations
      • Workforce
    • Rail Technology
      • AI and Communications
      • Condition Monitoring
      • Cybersecurity
      • Decarbonisation
      • Digitalisation
      • Research and Development
      • Signalling
      • Standards
      • Whitepapers
    • Industry organisations
      • ARA
      • Australian Logistics Council
      • ONRSR
      • PWI
      • RISSB
      • RTAA
  • Rail Directory
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2025 All Rights Reserved. All content published on this site is the property of Prime Creative Media. Unauthorised reproduction is prohibited