News
09.08.2013
SMARTRAIL/MAINLINE session at FIRM13 on Innovation for Railway Infrastructure
In June 2010, the European Commission launched the 2011 competition for FP7 funding which included the following item - SST.2011.5.2-6. “Cost-effective improvement of rail transport infrastructure”. The proposed scope of work focussed on developing monitoring and assessment techniques to allow for the cost effective, environmentally friendly and safe use of the massive asset that exists throughout Europe, namely our railway infrastructure, much of which was constructed over 150 years ago.
Two projects, MAINLINE and SMARTRAIL, successfully submitted in response to this call commenced work in autumn 2011. These projects work closely together to maximise their outputs. The 2013 FEHRL Infrastructure Research Meeting (FIRM13 conference presented the perfect platform for dissemination of the findings of these projects to key stakeholders almost two-thirds of the way through. The projects conclude in late 2014 and will also feature as a special session at next year's TRA2014 conference in Paris from 14-17th April 2014.
Several activities are underway within both projects, which were outlined at the FIRM13 SMARTRAIL/MAINLINE session, held on the morning of Thursday 6th June 2013 for around 50 stakeholders. This session, entitled "Innovation for Railway Infrastructure", included an introduction to the session by Professor Wolfgang Steinicke, technical presentations by SMARTRAIL and MAINLINE and a life-cycle evaluation of Infrastructure Maintenance and Renewal by Network Rail UK. See the agenda, photos and links to presentations below:
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