Line Manager

With fewer night-time inspections without leading to track closures and considerable reductions in Health & safety profiles, The Bionic Eye's drone demonstration would not only show significant time savings, reduced costs, and a comparable visual data set for future inspections. It would transform Network Rail's asset management.

THE CHALLENGE

Our client Amey Plc approached us to help them with the bid to renew a Network Rail contract to inspect all assets along a section of the London to Brighton line, including bridges and viaducts. The traditional method was to undertake this work during night hours when the line was closed, necessitating abseiling teams to inspect in the dark, which carried a significantly higher risk profile and was very slow and expensive.

THE SOLUTION

We generated a video to demonstrate using drones as an efficient tool for bridge inspection. We filmed the process of how drones could be used to allow remote daylight inspections. The video also detailed the minimal impact upon the infrastructure to capture the asset information and the exponentially lower Health & Safety risk profile as the pilots did not necessarily have to work within the live track environment.
"It demonstrated that inspections could be completed in a fraction of the time while also allowing for more data to be recorded and kept for historical review and analysis to improve maintenance work schedule. Additionally, drones significantly reduced inspection costs, making it a more cost-effective solution."

KEY STATISTICS

2.6K

Station Inspections

30K

Bridge Inspections

20K

Miles of Track

Line Closures

THE OUTCOME

Not only was Amey Plc able to renew the inspection contract, but Network Rail invited us all to demonstrate how drones could be used and further explore the benefits. This successful demonstration led to Network Rail setting up its own drone team, which involved training existing staff, acquiring the necessary equipment, and integrating drone operations into asset maintenance and inspection schedules.

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