Using these sensors, it will be possible to check the condition of the bogies, whether any doors on the train are open and, of course, the exact position of the train. The data is sent to the central station by a GPS device that is solar-powered. The entire system will be processed and analysed by artificial intelligence.
"This solution allows us to have a constant overview of the location and status of the vehicles. It will bring a radical development to freight transport, as the vast majority of wagons are not equipped with similar devices," explains Edoardo La Ficara, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for Operations, Service and Maintenance at Hitachi Rail.
The partnership with Intermodal Telematics will complement Hitachi Rail’s purchase of Perpetuum last year. The British rail technology firm, Perpetuum, provides Hitachi with digital solutions that improve train reliability and performance. Its remote condition monitoring detects emerging damage in train bogies long before it can be identified by other means, thus preventing failures, facilitating more efficient maintenance cycles, and increasing the life of the wheels. Coupled with the IMT solution, Hitachi will now be able to completely monitor freight vehicles in real time.
The partnership between the two companies will focus on providing service in Europe and North America.
