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TRIMIS

Smart Maintenance and Analysis of Transport Infrastructure

PROJECTS
Funding
European
European Union
Duration
-
Status
Complete with results
Geo-spatial type
Other
Total project cost
€3 823 676
EU Contribution
€2 782 055
Project website
Project Acronym
SMART RAIL
STRIA Roadmaps
Infrastructure (INF)
Transport mode
Multimodal icon
Transport policies
Deployment planning/Financing/Market roll-out
Transport sectors
Passenger transport,
Freight transport

Overview

Call for proposal
FP7-SST-2011-RTD-1
Link to CORDIS
Background & Policy context

Europe needs a safe and cost effective transport network to encourage movement of goods and people within the EU and towards major markets in the East. This is central to European transport, economic and environmental policy.

Many parts of Europe's rail network were constructed in the mid 19th century long before the advent of modern construction standards. Historic levels of low investment, poor maintenance strategies and the deleterious effects of climate change(for example scour of bridge foundations due to flooding and rainfall induced landslides) has resulted in critical elements of the rail network such as bridges, tunnels and earthworks being at significant risk of failure. The consequence of failures of major infrastructure elements is severe and can include loss of life, significant replacement costs (typically measured in millions of Euros) and line closures which can often last for months.

Objectives

The SMART Rail project brings together experts in the areas of highway and railway infrastructure research, SMEs and railway authorities who are responsible for the safety of national infrastructure.

The goal of the project is to reduce replacement costs, delay and provide environmentally friendly maintenance solutions for ageing infrastructure networks.

Methodology

This will be achieved through the development of state of the art methods to analyse and monitor the existing infrastructure and make realistic scientific assessments of safety. These engineering assessments of current state will be used to design remediation strategies to prolong the life of existing infrastructure in a cost-effective manner with minimal environmental impact.

Funding

Parent Programmes
Institution Type
Public institution
Institution Name
The European Commission
Type of funding
Public (EU)
Specific funding programme
FP7-TRANSPORT

Results

Innovative solutions for maintaining Europe's rail infrastructure

Europe's rail sector needs to overcome limitations in ageing infrastructure. An EU initiative developed a new automatic sensor system to replace visual inspections of such infrastructure in order to optimise monitoring and prioritisation of repairs.

Much of Europe's rail system dates from the 19th and early 20th centuries and is degraded. The vital continual assessment and maintenance must be cost effective and efficiently prioritised. This was the task of the EU-funded project http://smartrail.fehrl.org/ (SMART RAIL) (Smart maintenance and analysis of transport infrastructure).

Initially, the project conducted in situ assessments of specific rail infrastructure around Europe. Assessments included the current conditions of the infrastructure, plus estimates of likely damage given different usage or weather conditions.

Novel techniques to obtain real-time data on the performance of rail infrastructure such as bridges, tracks and slopes were developed and tested on railway infrastructure across the EU. These include sensors to monitor the corrosion rate of steel and concrete bridges, geophysical techniques to assess the condition of open track and embankments, accelerometers to measure the development of bridge scour and an early warning system for landslides.

A life-cycle tool was developed to demonstrate the environmental and economic cost benefits concerning the tested techniques. Demonstrations were carried out on railway networks in Ireland, Croatia, Poland and Slovenia.

Guidelines for the implementation of practical solutions to meet user needs and to facilitate widespread exploitation of outcomes were made available on the project website. Dedicated workshops and conference sessions were organised and scientific papers published.

Thanks to SMART RAIL, infrastructure operators and managers have at their disposal innovative methods and cost-effective measures to ensure the future safety and quality of Europe's infrastructure.

Partners

Lead Organisation
Organisation
University College Dublin, National University Of Ireland, Dublin
Address
Belfield Campus, Dublin, 4, Ireland
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€459 968
Partner Organisations
Organisation
Iarnrod Eireann
Address
Amiens Street Connolly Station, Dublin, 1, Ireland
EU Contribution
€8 524 314
Organisation
Iarnrod Eireann
Address
Amiens Street Connolly Station, Dublin, 1, Ireland
EU Contribution
€71 007
Organisation
Instytut Kolejnictwa
Address
Chlopickiego 50, 04 275 Warszawa, Poland
EU Contribution
€2 720 000
Organisation
Instytut Kolejnictwa
Address
Chlopickiego 50, 04 275 Warszawa, Poland
EU Contribution
€99 965
Organisation
Roughan & O'donovan Limited
Address
Arena Road Arena House, Sandyford, 18, Ireland
EU Contribution
€573 300
Organisation
Roughan & O'donovan Limited
Address
Arena Road Arena House, Sandyford, 18, Ireland
EU Contribution
€199 013
Organisation
Eurnex E. V.
Address
Fasanenstrasse 85, 10623 Berlin, Germany
EU Contribution
€438 340
Organisation
Technische Universitaet Muenchen
Address
Arcisstrasse 21, 80333 MUENCHEN, Germany
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€48 000
Organisation
Technische Universitaet Muenchen
Address
Arcisstrasse 21, 80333 MUENCHEN, Germany
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€150 000
Organisation
Universiteit Twente
Address
Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede, Netherlands
EU Contribution
€999 950
Organisation
Universiteit Twente
Address
Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede, Netherlands
EU Contribution
€42 369
Organisation
Institut Igh Dd
Address
Janka Rakuse 1, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
EU Contribution
€300 000
Organisation
Institut Igh Dd
Address
Janka Rakuse 1, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
EU Contribution
€172 635
Organisation
De Montfort University
Address
The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH, United Kingdom
EU Contribution
€2 299 393
Organisation
De Montfort University
Address
The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH, United Kingdom
EU Contribution
€135 000
Organisation
Slovenske Zeleznice Doo
Address
Kolodvorska Ulica 11, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
EU Contribution
€1 571 513
Organisation
Slovenske Zeleznice Doo
Address
Kolodvorska Ulica 11, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
EU Contribution
€95 022
Organisation
Forum Des Laboratoires Nationaux Europeens De Recherche Routiere
Address
Boulevard de la Woluwe 42, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€200 000
Organisation
Forum Des Laboratoires Nationaux Europeens De Recherche Routiere
Address
Boulevard de la Woluwe 42, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€408 764
Organisation
The University Of Nottingham
Address
University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
EU Contribution
€15 000
Organisation
Zavod Za Gradbenistvo Slovenije
Address
DIMICEVA ULICA 12, 1000 LJUBLJANA, Slovenia
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€343 354
Organisation
Hz Infrastruktura D.o.o.
Address
Ulica Antuna Mihanovica, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€2 055 492
Organisation
Hz Infrastruktura D.o.o.
Address
Ulica Antuna Mihanovica, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Organisation website
EU Contribution
€49 999
Organisation
Adaptronica Zoo Sp
Address
Ul. Szpitalna 32, 05 092 Lomianki, Poland
EU Contribution
€1 256 939
Organisation
Adaptronica Zoo Sp
Address
Ul. Szpitalna 32, 05 092 Lomianki, Poland
EU Contribution
€101 620

Technologies

Technology Theme
Infrastructure management
Technology
Information system for infrastructure management
Development phase
Research/Invention

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