Perpetuum announces track monitoring contract with NSW Trainlink

It marks the UK company’s first multiple year contract for its information services and its first major export contract for track condition monitoring.

The New South Wales state government has allocated $50m to renew the XPT fleet, with the first trains being introduced in 2019. The Perpetuum system will be immediately deployed across the current NSW Trainlink fleet to improve track maintenance, punctuality and ride quality on existing services. It will also monitor the track condition in preparation for the new fleet, in a progressive move to allow key wheel-rail measurement benchmarks to be set in advance.

Perpetuum will supply NSW Trainlink with its innovative wireless self-powered sensors, train to ground communication equipment, data management and use of the Perpetuum track and ride algorithms and condition alarms. The Perpetuum system will be mounted on NSWT’s XPT Power Cars to collect track and ride information to identify early damage across the thousands of kilometers of track through Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Grafton, Casino and Dubbo. The fleet covers around 3.5 million km annually, carrying around 1 million passengers.

The adoption of remote condition monitoring by NSW Trainlink comes after a number of reported issues with rough riding in its regional network. Following a successful internal investigation and report using onboard accelerometers, NSW Trainlink launched an international tender for a solution that could be deployed across the fleet. NSWT Trainlink issued a performance based specification that stipulated that the vibration sensors must operate for at least five years without needing power supply system maintenance, analyse trends in the data to identify potential cases of degradation in the wheels and the rail and comply with all international railway standards, including EN 12299:2009 for ride quality measurement. 

“We are very pleased that Perpetuum will be supporting NSW Trainlink in their pioneering strategy to improve the passenger experience, and marks a key milestone for our business,” said Justin Southcombe, Commercial Director of Perpetuum. “While it is our second contract in Australia, it is our first multiple year contract for information services and the first track export contract. Our proven wireless condition monitoring technology allows maintenance, condition monitoring and asset failures to become easier to manage and predict.”