Railway monitoring

We deliver monitoring solutions designed specifically for the operational and technical constraints of railway infrastructure.

Our techniques support the monitoring of:

Construction activities near or beneath active tracks
Structural ageing and fatigue over time
Geotechnical risks such as landslides, embankment instability, excavation movements, rock mass failure and hidden ground voids

Railway monitoring aims to maintain service continuity while protecting passengers, assets and operational staff throughout the infrastructure lifecycle.

Find out more about our railway monitoring solutions

Cyclops

Automated topographic monitoring

Our Cyclops solution provides automated topographic monitoring for measuring settlements or uplift.

It is the most well-known, comprehensive and versatile solution for absolute measurements in the X, Y and Z dimensions.

The Cyclops system can operate in groups to ensure high accuracy when monitoring large areas with multiple devices.

An autonomous power supply option allows installation in areas without an electricity grid.

Find out more about our Cyclops solution

4DShape

Continuous segmented inclinometer

The 4DShape system consists of 50 cm segments, each of which can measure inclination. The 4DShape system is a continuous, or ‘chain’, measurement system.

It is particularly suitable for measuring settlement along horizontal profiles, such as embankments and railway tracks.

Find out more about our 4DShape solution

Rail Serenity

Railway track monitoring

Rail Serenity combines Sixense’ Cyclops monitoring system with the installation of tiltmeters. This combination ensures redundant measurements and robust monitoring.

Rail Serenity is a comprehensive railway track monitoring solution that provides 24/7 surveillance and complete filtering of false alarms.

Find out more about our Rail Serenity solution

Tiltmeters

Monitoring track movement

Tiltmeters or electrolevels measure changes in inclination. When the sensor is mounted on a beam of a known length, by measuring the tilt, the relative displacement between the two ends of the beam can be calculated. When beams are configured in a continuous longitudinal array, by surveying the reduced level of one of the end of the array, the settlement profile can be calculated.

Tiltmeters can be fixed directly to the rail or the sleepers, and used to monitor safety critical operational rail parameters, such as changes in cant or twist of the rail. Longitudinal measurements are also possible.

Tiltmeters have the advantage of functioning even when trains are present and in difficult weather conditions.

Dansometers

Measuring “rail dance”

“Rail dance” is the dynamic sinking of a rail under the weight of each axle.

Monitoring this is important because an increase in rail dance is indicative of deterioration in the rail support (sleepers, ballast or subgrade). In some cases, the rigidity of the rail can mask the development of a void or localised settlement of the ground between passing trains, but the change will be immediately visible on the rail dansometer.

Rail deflection gauges can consist of a high-frequency displacement sensor measuring the distance between the rail and a point under the ballast, or for a more accurate result, an accelerometer with double integration and a specific algorithm.

The benefits of our railway monitoring service

Cutting-edge expertise

backed by 20 years of experience and internal development

A dedicated, local team

thanks to a strong local network across the country (France)

A turnkey service

from installation to provision of pre-processed data in an accessible space

A culture of innovation

for solutions that are always better suited to our customers' challenges

Data quality control and monitoring

through proactive maintenance

Applications

Railway monitoring - Earth structures

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Railway monitoring - Engineering structures

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