STIM: smart train infrastructure monitoring

Abstract

Globally, infrastructure is a vital asset for economic prosperity, but condition assessments tend to be subjective and infrequent [2]. The lack of objective information leads to sub-optimal capital replacement projects, and the information lag prevents timely repair. In this poster we focus on techniques for monitoring rail-based transit infrastructure, although many of the findings could easily be applied in other types of infrastructure. One monitoring solution is to instrument the tracks and track structures, but given the expanse of our transit networks, the installation and maintenance cost of such a sensor network would be prohibitively high. A second solution is to use a custom instrumentation vehicle capable of monitoring the infrastructure as it moves [1]. However, such dedicated vehicles tend to be expensive, particularly in rail where monitoring is more specialized, so to keep costs down, infrastructure owners use these vehicles infrequently.