Fugro’s RILA Track System has been recognised with multiple wins at this year’s prestigious UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA). The awards recognise excellence and innovation in the rail industry.
Fugro was one of the most shortlisted companies at the UKRIA, receiving nominations for its innovative RILA Track System in five award categories and taking home awards in two categories: Cost Base Reduction and Design Innovation.
In selecting Fugro the pan-industry judging panel was impressed with the innovativeness of the RILA system, which offers a fully remote survey system, rapidly acquiring data that can be used for a wide range of purposes related to track geometry, condition and safety. The RILA Track sensor is unique and is the only track measurement system that connects to a passenger train and measures at line speed – up to 125 miles per hour. The operational flexibility, improved safety levels, highly accurate data and very attractive cost level set it apart from traditional track survey methods.
Commenting on the awards, Director Nick van den Hurk said, “These awards are a fantastic achievement for all the team. We wanted to create a way to undertake track survey safer, faster and significantly cheaper than conventional ground survey methods. Full RILA capture provides just that solution, virtually eliminating track possession and avoiding thousands of hours of track side exposure.”
He concluded, “Finally I must thank the team at Network Rail for its support and enthusiasm in adopting this new survey approach.”
Fugro’s RILA is a key element of Fugro’s range of asset integrity solutions and is now approved under Network Rail Band 1A. The system provides essential infrastructure information for rail professionals and as an approved system, can be deployed quickly and safely on a routine basis on Britain’s railways, where it has already been used to survey over 8,000 miles of track.