Siemens's next-level Rail Services at InnoTrans

Siemens Mobility Customer Services will present innovations for railway operators and maintainers at InnoTrans 2024. With new additions to Railigent X, the company is advancing the end-to-end digitization of train maintenance. The new Railigent X portfolio now gives operators, maintenance personnel, and asset owners the choice to select exactly the applications and services that align with their digital strategy.

Fully Automated Visual Vehicle Inspection 

Already today, dedicated measurements of wheel profiles, brakes, and pantographs are done in an automated way. Wear, anomalies, or errors are detected using AI models and displayed in Railigent X. In the future, this process will be further automated towards a fully automated visual vehicle inspection.

The vehicles will be scanned by cameras before entering the depot. The images will be analyzed using AI technology. This will enable the automated evaluation of up to 100 % of the vehicle surface to detect graffiti or technical damages, for example. Siemens Mobility will present an initial demonstration case from the Rail Service Center Dortmund at InnoTrans, focusing on the inspection of the train roof and roof equipment. This way, depot capacities can be more effectively planned and utilized, allowing for the maintenance of more rail vehicles.  
 
Mobile Inspection

With Mobile Inspection, Siemens Mobility is introducing a new future service offering, which enables the inspection of rail vehicles on sidings outside of depots and serves as an ideal complement to the company’s depot network service offerings. Specially designed mobile tools, utilizing robotics and augmented reality, are used to fully inspect the roof and undercarriage of the vehicles with cameras. Pit and roof stands are not required anymore.

Consequently, there is no longer a need to transfer a locomotive to a workshop, as a mobile service team can conduct the inspection on a suitable siding outside of the depot. Smaller maintenance tasks can also be carried out on-site. This solution increases vehicle availability and relieves the depot infrastructure. Railway operators will benefit from fewer depot visits, enabling higher availability of vehicles for operation. Mobile Inspection will initially be tested with interested partners in Germany, followed by a planned expansion to other maintenance projects worldwide.