A case study on geotechnical asset remote monitoring in Network Rail

Abstract

The majority of geotechnical assets on the UK railway were constructed over 150 years ago and some are exhibiting signs they are reaching the end of their serviceable life. It is often financially unviable to remediate the asset but the residual risk must still be mitigated. Remote condition monitoring (RCM) is traditionally used in longer-term studies of geotechnical asset failure using satellite and airborne comparison techniques. However, this paper focuses on the use of RCM as a safety mitigation measure to provide early warning of localised rapid earthworks failure in order to halt train movements or prompt further investigation. The inaccessible nature of the railway network provides unique challenges to the successful monitoring of infrastructure, including limited power source availability and communications. Two case studies are presented – Gillingham tunnel, Dorset, and a centralised pilot study aimed at standardising geotechnical RCM across Network Rail.