We’re using cellular data to remotely monitor overhead line systems on the Anglia route. This will help us find and fix faults in overhead line equipment faster – leading to shorter and fewer delays to your journeys.
Cellular modem technology
We want to better maintain our overhead line wires – ultimately cutting delays to your train journeys caused by faults in the overhead line equipment.
That’s why we’re fitting a cellular modem technology onto the Eastern side of our Anglia route to help us find and fix faults in overhead line equipment faster.
The tech is fitted into the substations that supply electricity to our overhead line wires. It works by sending data from our substations using 4G and 5G signals when there’s a fault in the overhead line equipment.
The tech can pinpoint the location of the fault to about 300 to 400 metres of accuracy. That’s a vast improvement from before when at times we could only pinpoint a fault to 17km.
This can in turn help us fix faults much faster – and get your journeys running again.
A more efficient solution
Much of the Anglia route is electrified and so relies on overhead line wires to power the electric trains running here.
We use remote control systems to monitor overhead line wires elsewhere on our railway. But the systems in the Anglia route are older and don’t have this feature
Using a cellular modem solution in Anglia will help us gain the same benefits but at a fraction of the cost of installing remote control systems.
We started fitting the cellular modem tech in March and have covered about 50% of this route.
Quicker, faster and safer maintenance
The cellular tech also helps us maintain our overhead line wires better. This also helps us keep your journeys running more smoothly with fewer incidents caused by overhead line faults.
It even helps us keep our teams safer as our track workers spend less time on the track searching for the fault.
Mitt Shiyani, an electrical engineer at Network Rail, said: “This technology holds the potential to improve rail journeys in Anglia by significantly reducing overhead line equipment-related train delays and minimising the need for on-track staff to locate faults. Passengers will benefit from more reliable, timely journeys and an overall more efficient rail system.”
