Finland points to railways
07/11/2022
VR FleetCare and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (FTIA) will embark on the biggest condition monitoring campaign of railway points in Finland to date. As part of a new agreement, VR FleetCare and the Finish Infrastructure Manager will focus on the remote condition monitoring of up to 300 points.
With the new deal, the companies want to move away from reactive railway point maintenance to more optimised and preventative maintenance. The utilised measurement technology was developed together with Finnish hardware and software development company Vire Labs Oy.
Preventing failures of point turning machines should help reduce disruptions to train traffic in Finland, where condition monitoring is of particular importance due to the harsh weather conditions for much of the year. During winter, snow and ice accumulate around the points, which can cause malfunction or even breakage.
“We have worked hard to find smart solutions that work. With regard to the condition monitoring of points, we have made gradual progress, developing a cost-effective solution that is also easy to install to the railway network without causing traffic interruptions,” said Sami Kalevirta, Head of Digital Services at VR FleetCare.
“We are looking forward to deploying the state-of-the-art condition monitoring system in maintenance and ensuring punctual traffic,” added Marko Lehtosaari, Specialist at the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
