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“This entry is a fantastic example of what can happen when a team comes together from different entities with a shared purpose, delivering immediate benefits whilst creating the platform for strategic and lasting improvements. Ultimately, the outcomes of this project will provide a step change for switches and crossing (S&C) maintenance delivery on the key route between London, Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
The project was set up to understand how the KONUX Switch predictive maintenance system could support a change in maintenance regimes to different configurations of S&C in Sussex Route. The team agreed the following deliverables with the Infrastructure Director, Aaron Scudder:
Demonstrate the KONUX capabilities on both wood and concrete layouts for both commuter and higher speed infrastructure utilising 18 devices on 12 S&C units in differing configurations
Develop and implement intervention thresholds to drive proactive maintenance
Review the impact of different types of maintenance interventions and implement lessons learned to support continual improvement
Transition the data streams into business as usual within the Intelligent Infrastructure Technician team in Three Bridges Route Operating Centre
Build a business case for strategic implementation in Sussex Route
In its efforts, the group showed great teamwork and collaboration between client and supplier, with Karl Geisler (Head of Assets (Track)), David Shale (Senior Asset Engineer), Ollie Lawrence (Reliability Improvement Specialist), Intelligent Infrastructure Technicians, Maintenance Staff within the Section Manager’s team and the KONUX Solution Engineers and Customer Success (SECS) team led by Matt Weingarth, all playing a vital part in achieving the aims of the project.
All five of the agreed deliverables were successfully completed within 9 months of device installation. The immediate impact of this project has been several successful maintenance interventions preventing delays to passenger services — one of which prevented a cracked crossing and which would not have been found utilising any other monitoring methodology.
The ultimate outcome is that a further 166 devices are now in the process of being installed with the Sussex Head of Assets (Team) sponsoring further system improvements. This project has been a pleasure to work on, with everyone involved demonstrating a can-do attitude to overcome any issues as they arose.“
“The collaborative effort on the KONUX Switch predictive maintenance project exemplifies the power of cross-entity teamwork and shared goals. Our mission was clear: transform switches and crossings (S&C) maintenance on the critical London-Gatwick Airport-Brighton route. Under the leadership of Infrastructure Director Aaron Scudder, we set ambitious objectives:
Showcase KONUX capabilities across wood and concrete S&C layouts for both commuter and high-speed infrastructure, deploying 18 devices on 12 S&C units in diverse configurations,
Establish intervention thresholds for proactive maintenance,
Evaluate the impact of different maintenance interventions, implementing lessons for ongoing improvement,
Seamlessly integrate data streams into daily operations within the Intelligent Infrastructure Technician team,
Develop a robust business case for Sussex Route implementation.
The team, including Network Rail's Karl Geisler, David Shale, Ollie Lawrence, Intelligent Infrastructure Technicians, Maintenance Staff, and KONUX teams led by Matt Weingarth, rallied together to achieve all objectives within a remarkable 9 months. Immediate benefits included the prevention of service disruptions and the detection of critical issues like a cracked crossing. As a result, 166 more devices are being deployed, with strong support for further enhancements. This project embodies our collaborative spirit, problem-solving ethos, and commitment to delivering lasting improvements“
“This example shows how two teams can work together collaboratively to understand and carry out predictive maintenance.
18 units are currently deployed across Sussex, which has help establish intervention thresholds which is looking to be used national. With help from KONUX a robust roll out plan has been implemented with the use of the intelligent infrastructure team. This has proven to be a success with preventative maintenance being carried out and giving the engineers more data to make a decision before a failure was to occur. This new method of working has been a standout nationally with Sussex leading the way for other routes across the UK.
Because of the successful roll out an additional 166 units have been purchased which we we tackle the London to Brighton main line.
The continued regular meetings and support from KONUX will see more predictive maintenance being carried out on Sussex over the coming years.“
“This is a fantastic example of the rail industry coming together across Network Rail (NR) through the supply chain, all ready to embrace the power of AI and data aligned with traditional maintenance tasks. This amazing example of innovation will help evolve ways of working, leading to a safer and more reliable railway. This shall benefit both rail staff on the ground and office-based employees. Railway customers shall ultimately benefit from helping them complete their journeys on time, hassle-free, and freight becoming a viable option as we deliver a more reliable and safe railway together.
It has been a pleasure working with and learning from this cross-industry team - Network Rail Sussex Route, Head of Asset Team, Maintenance Staff, Intelligent Infrastructure Technicians (special mention to David Shale, who was the NR lead, plus Karl Geisler, Ollie Lawrence, and Arron Scudder) and the various KONUX teams across Data Science, Operations, Product, Device, and finally, the Solution Engineers with the Customer Success Team, all listening and learning from NR. NR is also growing in the field of data and AI, striving to improve ways of working and making a safer and more reliable railway together“
“I thought the evening was extremely well organised and the atmosphere was even better than last year, and a far cry from some other awards events held elsewhere. The meal itself was also excellent.”
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