Smart sensors should prevent winter train delays

A low-cost sensor device developed by the University of Birmingham could help prevent train delays caused by poor weather conditions and fallen leaves on the line.

Lee Chapman, professor of climate resilience at the university, has worked with technology transfer company Alta Innovations to develop the device to help better predict where and when problems caused by poor weather and leaf fall will occur.

AutumnSense uses sensors to continuously measure the level of moisture on the railway line. It could potentially be deployed at thousands of sites across the rail network.Chapman said that the device’s cost of as little as £500 each compares favourably to the millions of pounds that train operators lose because of delays. 

AutumnSense is a self-contained device requiring no external power or communications that uses sensing technology to aggregate realtime data. Multiple devices deployed across the country would create a “low-cost rail moisture monitoring network”. This would help to improve the accuracy of the low-adhesion forecasts and leaf-fall prediction models provided by the Met Office and consultancy Adas.

 “On-ground sensing will not only improve these forecast models but also allow train operators to make realtime decisions,” said Chapman. “They could send out live updates to slow trains down for problem locations, increase braking distance or target treatment on tracks. In the future, the information could be sent to driverless trains to automatically reduce their speed.”

A previous version of the technology would have had to rely on a roll-out of wi-fi hotspots across the rail network to relay data effectively. But Chapman has since found a wi-fi-free way to communicate live data “inspired by Internet of Things technology”, so that the devices can be installed at “any location”.

Chapman hopes to begin live trials next autumn. His team is testing the next element of the solution, which uses a low-cost camera to monitor the number of leaves remaining on the trees.

The researchers have also developed devices for lamp-posts, which transmit data on road surface temperatures, to enable more precise road gritting.