Press release -
Trouble brewing? Great Northern train emails warning to engineers months before breakdown
- Smart device means greater reliability for passengers
- Good vibrations from innovative firm Perpetuum
Great Northern railway, run by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), is making trains to and from London King’s Cross more reliable by fitting smart hi-tech kit that warns engineers by email when parts are developing a problem.
In a UK first, Great Northern has fitted sensors to both wheel bearings and gearboxes across an entire fleet – all 40 of its Class 365 trains that run between Cambridge, Peterborough and London King’s Cross. The last train will be kitted out tomorrow (20 September 2017).
The system, designed by Perpetuum, a business which was spun out of Southampton University, uses vibration sensors to provide real-time “in-flight” monitoring and diagnostics.
Gerry McFadden, Engineering Director of GTR, said: “This significant investment in state-of-the-art technology will improve the reliability of trains on the route, giving our passengers better journeys. Problems will be highlighted months in advance before these vital components have a chance to break down, avoiding further damage and delays.”
Perpetuum’s Chief Executive, Steve Turley, said: “If a defect is developing it will create a specific vibration signature which our technology can isolate and email an alert to Great Northern’s engineers at their depot in Hornsey. Looking at other train operators, we’ve never had a failure in service for the components our sensors monitor.”
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Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:
- Thameslink – services between Bedford and Brighton, Luton/St Albans and Sutton, Wimbledon and Sevenoaks
- Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
- Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
- Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria
GTR is the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff: GTR carries about 326 million passenger journeys per year, and employs around 6,500 people. Its aim is to improve services across all four networks.
Ticket revenue is passed to the government which pays GTR a fee to operate the franchise which is adjusted according to how well the train service is performing.
Southern has the highest passenger growth in the UK with numbers into London having doubled in 12 years - compared with the industry doubling over the past 20 years. To meet this growth and to future-proof the network, GTR is modernising the rail service for passengers.
GTR has introduced more new trains in the past year than all other franchises put together, with 500 new carriages so far.
The transformative £7bn Thameslink Programme will bring hundreds more daily services from 2018, increasing the number of trains though the central London core from up to 15 to 24 trains per hour. Network Rail has also launched a £300m programme to improve resilience across the GTR network
GTR is modernising how it works, with new technology in use at our stations and on our trains, smartcard ticketing and a new, flexible on-board role on many Southern services. This ensures fewer cancellations, and with more staff on board our trains now than ever before, passengers are enjoying a much better level of on-board customer service.
The GTR investment programme for stations includes funding for more CCTV, toilet refurbishments, new retail facilities, help points and car park improvements – as well as plans for increased motorcycle storage and improved transport integration.
www.southernrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com,www.greatnorthernrail.com
