Royal HaskoningDHV & Lynxx sign contract with ProRail for improving rail with data analytics: ProRail, the Netherlands’ national railway infrastructure manager, and Royal HaskoningDHV and Lynxx, two Dutch engineering and data analytics firms, have inked a contract to use data analytics to enhance train operations. The businesses will create a method of preventative repair for train switches, an essential part of railway operations. ProRail will be able to optimize maintenance schedules, cut downtime, and increase the total reliability of the train network because the system will be able to anticipate failures and spot repair requirements before they happen.
In order to enhance the precision and efficiency of the predictive maintenance system, the project will also entail the placement of sensors on train switches to collect real-time performance data. The three businesses’ cooperation is a major step towards a more data-driven and effective rail network, which can eventually offer customers improved service.
What is Data Analytics?
Analyzing, interpreting, and converting data into practical knowledge and ideas to assist decision-making is known as data analytics. To find patterns, trends, and connections in huge data sets, statistical, computational, and machine learning methods are used. A few industries where data analytics can be used include business, healthcare, finance, and transit. Data gathering, data preparation and cleansing, data analysis, and data visualisation are just a few of the phases involved. The final aim of data analytics is to derive useful insights from data that can assist organisations in making educated decisions, streamlining processes, and raising productivity.
Depending on the nature and complexity of the data being analysed as well as the objectives of the analysis, different data analytics methods may be used. Data mining, machine learning, predictive analytics, and statistical analysis are a few of the frequently used methods in data analytics.
Royal HaskoningDHV & Lynxx sign contract with ProRail for improving rail with data analytics
According to Arjen Boersma, Director ICT ProRail, “the use of data analytics and combining a data-driven approach with significant sector expertise has added value for ProRail.” That is exactly what Royal HaskoningDHV offers, and in the coming years, the company will help us make our climate better while also making passengers and shippers happier.
In addition to the same, Anton van der Sanden of Royal HaskoningDHV, said we are honoured to have been chosen by ProRail to help define their data analytics strategy over the next four years because, “the potential of data in the rail sector could be gamechanging, offering smarter operations, more efficient maintenance, and facilitating a smooth energy transition.”
ProRail is handling its most pressing challenges in an increasingly data-driven way by utilising its unique Big Data Analytics Platform (BDAP) based on Microsoft Azure. To grow and execute the proofs-of-concept and pilots recommended by its data analytics, more capability and skills are needed. As a consequence, ProRail has selected Royal HaskoningDHV and sector expert Lynxx for an outline agreement that must last at least four years.
Lynxx and Royal HaskoningDHV were selected together due to their combination of data science expertise and railway industry experience, making them the only engineering firm among the four contracted operators. For instance, ProRail has created a model of the Dutch rail network using its digital twin technology that shows the present railway facilities, stops, and timetables as well as the different types of moving stock used by ProRail and Dutch rail firms. This can be used by Royal HaskoningDHV to run simulations and assess circumstances involving schedule modification.
Train speeds are restricted throughout the network as a result of power network limitations; this problem is anticipated to get worse as energy demand increases. However, ProRail’s PowerAll project will use data analytics to simulate the impacts of infrastructure development and maintenance as well as improved methods to use and manage its ageing traction power supply. PowerAll, an energy statistics project, is Royal HaskoningDHV’s first undertaking for ProRail with Lynxx. By looking into clever ways to control peak power demand from a variety of energy consumers, the project will add to the broader smart grid discussion in the Netherlands.
Benefits of improving rail with data analytics
Several advantages can result from enhancing train operations with data analytics, including:
- Increased dependability: train workers can cut delay and increase the overall dependability of the train network by anticipating repair requirements and spotting possible breakdowns before they happen.
- Better asset management: Data analytics can give train managers insights into the performance of their assets, allowing them to optimise repair plans and increase the lifespan of their assets.
- Enhanced security: Data analytics can assist in identifying possible security risks, enabling train operators to take preventative action and boost total security.
- Efficiency gains: Rail managers can boost productivity and cut costs by optimising maintenance plans and upgrading asset management.
- Better customer experience: With fewer delays and disruptions, a more dependable and effective train network can offer a better customer experience.
About Royal HaskoningDHV and Lynxx
A Dutch engineering and project management consulting company with a worldwide presence is Royal HaskoningDHV. The business has extensive knowledge in a variety of fields, including infrastructure, aircraft, marine, energy, and water management. Royal HaskoningDHV, which employs over 6,000 people, seeks to offer cutting-edge, sustainable answers to challenging engineering problems. Machine learning and predictive analytics are the areas of expertise of Lynxx, a Dutch data analytics firm. The business offers solutions for quality assurance, anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance while utilising cutting-edge data analysis methods to improve efficiency and cut expenses. Manufacturing, electricity, and transit are just a few of the sectors that Lynxx is knowledgeable about.
In order to create cutting-edge solutions that can enhance the dependability, effectiveness, and safety of train networks, Royal HaskoningDHV and Lynxx have a special combination of engineering and data analytics experience. Their partnership with ProRail exemplifies the increasing significance of data analytics in the transportation sector and draws attention to the possible gains that can be made by fusing engineering and data analysis.
About ProRail
In the Netherlands, ProRail is in charge of managing the country’s train infrastructure. The organisation is in charge of building, maintaining, and running the Dutch train network, which consists of lines, stations, and other equipment. The goal of ProRail is to provide nationwide train transit that is secure, dependable, and environmentally responsible. Government-owned ProRail collaborates closely with regional and national train carriers, such as Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), the Dutch government’s national railway business. The business collaborates with a variety of parties, including towns, provinces, and other businesses in the transit industry.
In order to increase the effectiveness and environmental performance of the train network, ProRail constantly investigates new technologies and practises. It places a strong emphasis on innovation and sustainability. The business is also very focused on safety, and it aims to have no incidents or crashes on the Dutch train system.
Conclusion
A major move towards a more effective and dependable rail network has been taken by the partnership between Royal HaskoningDHV, Lynxx, and ProRail. The businesses want to create a predictive maintenance system for train switches using sophisticated analytics and machine learning that will allow ProRail to enhance the reliability of the rail network generally, optimise maintenance plans, and cut down on downtime.
In order to enhance the precision and efficiency of the predictive maintenance system, the project also entails the placement of sensors on train switches to collect real-time performance data. The use of data analytics in train operations has the potential to bring about a number of advantages, including enhanced safety, reliability, asset management, and efficiency.
This partnership serves as a reminder of the increasing significance of data analytics in the transportation sector as well as the possible gains that can be made by fusing engineering and data analysis. Data analytics will become more crucial as train networks become more complicated and reliant on technology to maintain their efficiency, dependability, and safety.
