RADIO frequency identification (RFID) tags will allow maintenance engineers to access real-time information on the wheelset condition of more than 15,000 freight wagons and locomotives, writes Graeme Pickering.
A two-year programme to fit the devices is underway as part of £22 million of safety improvements being funded during the current Network Rail Control Period and 73% of the tag installations have already been completed by Freightliner.
Trackside readers, which are located at 22 sites on the network, will capture wheel condition details when tagged trains pass them. This will be fed into a system which engineers can view remotely to identify any issues.
‘Collaborative effort’