Rail networks carry immense loads every day, and they rely heavily on the fact that the rail is safely constructed and maintained. This can be a heavy burden on rail infrastructure companies.

As such, comprehensive surveys are an absolutely necessity to detect faults in rail and to improve safety. It is vital to ensure that you employ experienced surveying specialists to ensure that any rail construction or maintenance is as safe and comprehensive as possible.

Why safety is an absolute necessity

When faults occur in rail, detection needs to be immediate so that fixes can be quick and accurate. Any faults – whether structural or external – could lead to potential harm. Primarily, faults come from structural degradation of cables, malfunction of system elements such as switches, as well as physical damage from construction and track repairs.

Often, nobody is directly to blame, but these faults must be identified and dealt with as quickly and swiftly as possible.

McDonald Surveys utilises the Trimble Gedo CE Suite to comprehensively scan rail in pre-construction or maintenance surveys. This allows us to measure rail assets with high accuracy and speed. This supports future rail works and fault mitigation as we have sizeable amounts of accurate data to help solve any issues.

How we deal with faults and problems

Accurate measurements ensure that any fixes are quick and accurate.

Circuit faults can be difficult to identify. Through comprehensive and advanced technology, we can identify faults along railway lines without difficulty. We can therefore advise on quickly fixing these problems.

When initial surveys are conducted, it’s an absolute necessity that they prepare for any future issues or faults. Surveys are not merely an addition – they are a necessary part of any rail project.

Through advanced technology such as our proprietary software Inspective and the usage of smart hardware such as the Gedo Suite, we can streamline all rail works and optimise the success of all rail projects throughout their entire lifecycle.

You can find out more about McDonald Surveys’ proficiency in rail surveys here, or you can contact us for more information here.