Solutions
We understand the unique challenges faced by rail operators, maintenance teams, and asset managers—our solutions address the key pain points to keep your network running efficiently.
Difficulties you may face
01. Predictions
Plan Maker
"Struggles to adjust maintenance plans due to outdated or incomplete forecasting data, leading to inefficiencies and unexpected disruptions."
Jobs could be:
Create and implement plans to improve the company's operations and meet its goals. Such as maintenance plan, renewal plan, tamping and grinding plan, etc.
Business Leader
"Operational decisions rely on guesswork instead of data-driven insights, leading to wasted capital and inefficient resource allocation."
Jobs could be:
Plan and develop the strategic business plan to define long term goals (incl. OPEX and CAPEX) across the operational network or system (rail, mining and ports).
Solutions
Re-rail prediction
Praedico’s AI-powered platform predicts track renewal needs 1 to 5 years in advance, enabling rail operators to proactively manage maintenance and optimize budgets. Users can track renewal progress, identify unplanned track degradation, and adjust plans dynamically based on real-time asset data. By analyzing re-rail causes, our solution ensures informed decision-making, reducing unexpected failures and streamlining infrastructure investments.
Tamping prediction
Our tamping prediction model identifies track areas needing maintenance 1 to 5 years in advance, allowing teams to target tamping operations with precision. By focusing resources on specific high-risk areas, operators reduce unnecessary work, minimize costs, and extend track lifespan.
02. Network Health
Unable to assess the overall risk, health, and performance of the network.
Plan Maker
"Monitoring and tracking events, risk areas or hazards requires filtering data, which is not straightforward."
Jobs could be:
Create and implement plans to improve the company's operations and meet its goals. Such as maintenance plan, renewal plan, tamping and grinding plan, etc.
Business Leader
"Reliance on team members to manually escalate risk areas and impact to executives."
Jobs could be:
Plan and develop the strategic business plan to define long term goals (incl. OPEX and CAPEX) across the operational network or system (rail, mining and ports).
Solutions
KPI - TSRs
Praedico Rail provides the ability to benchmark and identify opportunities for improvement (of KPIs, asset performance) before it becomes a risk. This is done through a holistic view of asset performance combining live, static, and spatial data.
TSR performance dashboard and summary tables, including lost operational time due to TSRs, TSRs grouped by root cause, lifted TSRs per year, and Top 10 TSRs on impact value.
KPI - Deviation
Deviation refers to a number of notifications/orders on assets that can lead to either interruption or restriction in the system performance with respect to the level of detail (LOD). By understanding the deviation, clients can identify areas/asset categories with the most notifications, which can indicate areas that are more problematic and require more attention. Additionally, clients can set a threshold for deviation and monitor the entire network's deviation at an appropriate level. This information can be used to benefit the maintenance and operation planning process, allowing for a more efficient allocation of resources.
03. Safety/Risk
Potential hazards and threats to the safety of passengers, workers, and infrastructure.
Plan Maker
"After flooding, it can be difficult to assess the condition of rail infrastructure and plan maintenance accordingly."
Jobs could be:
Create and implement plans to improve the company's operations and meet its goals. Such as maintenance plan, renewal plan, tamping and grinding plan, etc.
Business Leader
"Taking photos by helicopter can be both time-consuming and expensive."
Jobs could be:
Plan and develop the strategic business plan to define long term goals (incl. OPEX and CAPEX) across the operational network or system (rail, mining and ports).
Plan Executor
"If you don't know which track you're on, you're risking your life."
Jobs could be:
Inspect and monitor the tracks for defects, complete quality control checks, or track certifications, to inspect work that has been completed by maintenance.
Solutions
High-resolution satellite images
High-resolution satellite imagery is a helpful tool for rail companies to monitor their network. They can use it to quickly detect changes and assess damage in case of emergencies. Regular monitoring helps identify and address issues before they become major problems, ensuring safety and efficiency.
Visibility of active track and suspended track
Managing multiple parallel tracks can be difficult as it's hard to tell which track needs maintenance and how to approach it safely. But with high-resolution satellite imagery, rail companies can guarantee the safety of their workers by clearly highlighting suspended tracks. This provides a clear view of the rail network, enabling maintenance teams to identify the exact location of suspended tracks and take safety precautions.
04. Data
Data scattered across multiple platforms hampers analysis and decision-making.
Plan Maker
"Data is inefficiently retained as it is stored separately across different teams which makes it difficult to streamline and access that data."
Jobs could be:
Create and implement plans to improve the company's operations and meet its goals. Such as maintenance plan, renewal plan, tamping and grinding plan, etc.
Business Leader
"Data reporting or viewing data is not accessible, non-user-friendly and incomprehensible across personnel at all levels within the organisation."
Jobs could be:
Plan and develop the strategic business plan to define long term goals (incl. OPEX and CAPEX) across the operational network or system (rail, mining and ports).
Plan Executor
"Time consuming to gather and integrate data from multiple systems (e.g. ENSCO, IOC, Rail ops etc) and therefore difficulties to make sense of information as data is siloed."
Jobs could be:
Inspect and monitor the tracks for defects, complete quality control checks, or track certifications, to inspect work that has been completed by maintenance.
Solutions
Asset Tabular View
The asset tabular view gives direct access to multiple data sources, including:
Asset Details, Properties, Orders, Notifications, Tickets, Track Geometry, Rail Wear, Defects, Condition Monitoring Systems, TSRs, Curves, Welds, Rail Type, Switch Condition, Track Section Tonnage, Switch Tonnage, Switch Movement.
Track geometry and rail wear
View current and historical track geometry and rail wear measurements against thresholds to identify exceedances, inform maintenance plans, and compare multiple runs to understand trends and irregularities. Graph order and visibility are completely customisable and thresholds for exceedances are configurable by the user to align with network standards.
GPR
Unlike track geometry and rail wear, GPR data come from another platform. Our product involves it to help clients have a complete investigative experience.
The GPR section provides 6 graphs, including BFI, FDL, BTI, LRI, BVM, and TDI.
Measurements data with all relevant information
Details of events and properties such as rail type, curves and TSRs, located on the selected chainage can be viewed in position alongside track geometry and rail wear measurements. By adding context to measurement data, these insights improve maintenance and operational decision-making outcomes. For example, can TSRs be lifted as a result of maintenance actions or is rail wear consistent with curve or rail type properties?
Tonnage and switch movement
Track section tonnage and switch movement and filter by date range to understand the operational performance of your track and switches with greater context. This data can be used for determining the impact of tonnage, or potential changes in tonnage on network assets to inform maintenance actions and asset management plans.
05. GIS
Difficulty visualising spatial relationships between assets and data points.
Plan Maker
"Having a map to visualise all relevant data can help me identify opportunities for improvement, predict future needs, and plan projects more efficiently."
Jobs could be:
Create and implement plans to improve the company's operations and meet its goals. Such as maintenance plan, renewal plan, tamping and grinding plan, etc.
Business Leader
"A lack of data visualisation can create significant challenges for a rail company, potentially impacting safety, efficiency, and the company's ability to make informed decisions."
Jobs could be:
Plan and develop the strategic business plan to define long term goals (incl. OPEX and CAPEX) across the operational network or system (rail, mining and ports).
Plan Executor
"Driving a vehicle and wayfinding around track and access roads to find the correct section of the track can be difficult."
Jobs could be:
Inspect and monitor the tracks for defects, complete quality control checks, or track certifications, to inspect work that has been completed by maintenance.
Solutions
GIS Map
GIS layer options are available on all maps and can be filtered by date and layer attributes (e.g. status, severity, source). Layers include rail type and details (e.g. curve location, steel type), events (e.g. TSRs, defects), measurements (e.g. track geometry and rail wear), ticketing, access points and reference layers. When you select a layer, the view will automatically update. When you select an asset, the map will reload to the location of the asset.
Point cluster drill down
When selected, GIS feature layers including TSRs, defects, track geometry and rail wear can be displayed as point clusters to quickly identify highly impacted areas. By identifying high-risk clusters and drilling down into areas of concern, maintenance can be planned to make the most of available track time or to see where maintenance should be increased. Within the map filter, the point cluster legend defines the colour and sizing of the selected layer.
GIS map on mobile
We provide users with access to all mapping functions regardless of the device they are using. This allows users to easily access and analyse important data while on the go, without being tethered to a desk.
06. Fault Response / Ticketing
The ticketing process is manual, lacks transparency and accuracy, and ticket updates always delay.
Plan Maker
"Communication with workers on site about faults can be highly inefficient and inaccurate, and It is difficult to know the real-time status of Inspectors' activities."
Jobs could be:
Create and implement plans to improve the company's operations and meet its goals. Such as maintenance plan, renewal plan, tamping and grinding plan, etc.
Plan Executor
"Missed or delayed inspections arise due to missing email, SMS or phone call, etc."
Jobs could be:
Inspect and monitor the tracks for defects, complete quality control checks, or track certifications, to inspect work that has been completed by maintenance.
Solutions
Fault Response
Without Praedico Rail, ticketing data is often recorded on paper or in siloed systems making data analysis and comparison of tickets difficult. With Praedico Rail there is no need to manually log and store paper copies. Follow up actions for tickets are recorded and archived to close the ticket. All recorded data and repair history is then available within the change log.
Location and availability of personnel on site
Accurately tracking the locations and availability of on-site workers is crucial for effective maintenance planning. By knowing this information, planners can prioritise tasks and assign the most suitable workers for the job. This not only streamlines the process but also saves travel time for workers on site, as the planner can ensure that tasks are assigned to those who are closest to the job location.
Ticketing on mobile
Through the mobile app’s ticketing function, engineers can accept or decline assigned tickets and access all asset information necessary to efficiently investigate faults and restore availability. Having the mobile app allows for work groups to spend more time in-field, increasing faults corrected and availability. Details of failures, root cause analysis, photographic before and afters, and open text fields ensure inspections are conducted correctly and capture the full context.
07. Data Export
Exporting data from multiple platforms is inconvenient and inefficient.
Plan Maker
"Extracting data from different platforms, data errors, and broken links are key obstacles when I'm pulling data."
Jobs could be:
Create and implement plans to improve the company's operations and meet its goals. Such as maintenance plan, renewal plan, tamping and grinding plan, etc.
Business Leader
"The current process is: retrieving live data from the locomotive or in-train forces requires a stoppage (and thus spending resources); download the data via USB, transfer it onto a laptop followed by extracting that data."
Jobs could be:
Plan and develop the strategic business plan to define long term goals (incl. OPEX and CAPEX) across the operational network or system (rail, mining and ports).
Solutions
Data Export
Exporting data from our platform is incredibly straightforward. Clients can easily export asset data in CSV format for offline use. The calendar feature allows one to select any time span, and the data categories are highly customisable, giving clients the ability to select the specific information they need, such as notifications, TSRs, defects, and more. With this level of flexibility, clients can quickly and easily export the data they need to make informed decisions about their rail network.
08. Mobile App
Difficulties to pinpoint the location and find assets on site, no data to support analysis out of office.
Plan Maker
"It is difficult to know the real-time status of Inspectors' activities such as attending an issue, reporting issues and completion of inspections."
Jobs could be:
Create and implement plans to improve the company's operations and meet its goals. Such as maintenance plan, renewal plan, tamping and grinding plan, etc.
Plan Executor
"Retrieving specific asset defect information requires going back into office to access SAP via computer which restricts mobility and flexibility."
Jobs could be:
Inspect and monitor the tracks for defects, complete quality control checks, or track certifications, to inspect work that has been completed by maintenance.
Solutions
Find Asset on Mobile App
When using the mobile app, on-site work groups can search and display their location relative to an asset. This ensures work groups can quickly locate and navigate to specific assets, particularly in remote areas, or when there are clusters of assets.
Graphs on Mobile
Having rail graphs accessible on mobile devices offers convenience, real-time data, and enhanced efficiency. It enables personnel to compare current measurements with historical data, make timely assessments, and adjust maintenance plans on-site. Mobile access facilitates collaboration, allowing teams to share and discuss graphs, investigate defects, and identify root causes.
