Within the UK rolling stock environment, Porterbrook is at the forefront of innovation, with an ongoing programme of investment for the industry today and for the future.
Our dedicated team has a wealth of rail engineering expertise and project delivery experience; we use those skills and knowledge to work collaboratively with industry partners on innovations to support our customers, passengers, rail freight and the wider network.
Some of our current innovation projects that are adding tangible benefits the industry today include:
Remote Condition Monitoring
Having access to fast and reliable data is a game-changer for ensuring the high-performance of trains on the network, and especially when you can get that data remotely. With the introduction of Remote Condition Monitoring, information such as the engine’s oil pressure, coolant level, saloon temperature and more is readily available without the need for manual inspections, allowing for intelligence-led condition-based maintenance of fleets.
In partnership with Instrumentel, we are rolling out remote condition monitoring technology on our Turbostar fleets at CrossCountry, EMR, Chiltern and Northern. Early results have shown that moving just one task to condition-based maintenance can save up to 1,500 maintenance hours per year, freeing up this time for people to focus on other areas.
NOx emission reduction
We have partnered with Eminox, the exhaust manufacturer, to accelerate the delivery of cleaner and more environmentally friendly trains to Britain’s railways.
Our investment in Eminox’s technology to reduce NOx emissions in enclosed stations has delivered positive results during its first phase, delivering a circa 80% reduction in NOx emissions when an engine is idling.
Class 153 Visual Inspection Units
We have been working with Network Rail to convert ex-passenger Class 153 trains into a transformational switches and crossings train-borne monitoring service. This is supporting a new path for safe inspection of assets, meaning engineers can dial up inspections and decision making from a desktop and reduce time spent on track.
The Visual Inspection Units means that on foot inspections of switches and crossings can be reduced by up to 50%, with an expected 3,900 hours fewer boots on ballast in a year for one delivery unit alone.
This project won the Safety Achievement of the Year category at the National Rail Awards in 2023.