Track Integrity


Track failures or induced derailments represent approximately 50% of all train accidents. The majority of track integrity issues are related to the track geometry or gauge distortion while the remaining are due alignment, buckled track, and sub-soil erosion. AVANTE’s Autonomous Track Geometry Measurement System(ATGMS) provides a way to point out existing defects along the rail line in real-time and directly under the locomotive.

The gauge widening mechanism is usually gradual and relatively slow, but if it is undetected, the final failure often takes place under the effect of some additional factor, such as excess speed, poorly maintained running gear on a vehicle, misaligned rails, and extreme traction effects (such as high propelling forces). The crabbing effect referred to above is more marked in dry conditions, when the coefficient of friction at the wheel to rail interface is high. France experienced it’s worst rail crash in over a quarter of a century back in July of 2013. The cause of the accident was found out to be due to a loose connector on the tracks. Using a system such as AVANTE’s ATGMS would help to circumvent future accidents such as this.