Hitachi Rail is set to install new digital maintenance technology on Great Western Railway’s high-speed fleet of 93 intercity trains.
In a world-first, the rail arm of the Japanese tech giant will attach wireless monitoring equipment to the trains, which the firm said will boost availability by more than 100 days per year.
Hitachi’s ‘Perpetuum Onboard’ sensor system will gather real-time data from wheel trucks or ‘bogies’ located underneath the vehicles to provide live updates on the conditions of gearboxes, traction motors, bearings and wheels.
