Network Rail gets help from McLaren Applied with 5G connectivity for the railway 

Network Rail has seen 14 of its infrastructure monitoring trains undergo installation of McLaren Applied's F1-derived Fleet Connect software alongside its 5G Edge Active Antenna hardware in order to improve railway maintenance.

The impressive technology was originally created for Formula 1 and splits data across networks in real-time, reassembling it in the cloud on its way to its destination, cutting blackspots and creating consistent connectivity for moving vehicles in all environments.

The installation of the Active Antenna technology marks a first for the UK and will support a more straightforward approach to on-train connectivity infrastructure, bringing the latest capabilities for data offload whilst moving.

The combined technological approach will bring vastly improved connectivity performance with remarkable upload data reported by Network Rail of up to one thousand times faster than previous systems, providing speeds of up to 70MB/s per train which was previously just 76 KB/s.

Network Rail's infrastructure monitoring trains travel the length and breadth of the country, checking the condition of bridges, tunnels and viaducts whilst also making sure that 20,000 miles of track including level crossings and signals are in good working order.

The New Measurement Train is perhaps the most easily recognised of Network Rail's infrastructure monitoring trains, sees 60,000 miles of data recorded each year which, thanks to McLaren Applied's solution, can be easily offloaded. 

The ability to work with better and more stable connectivity supports maintenance with the monitoring trains now able to report using live data streams including sensor readings which pick up information such as track, foliage and network monitoring. This impressive remote and automated monitoring aids targeted maintenance work, keeping the railway in good running order for both passenger and freight trains.

Pablo Garcia Lopez, Director, Connected Intelligence Business Unit at McLaren Applied, said:

“The rollout of Fleet Connect software and cutting-edge Active Antenna hardware is a great example of how British ingenuity and engineering, along with cross-industry knowledge, can solve prominent challenges in the transport sector. The combined technology ensures that infrastructure monitoring trains can quickly and reliably transmit data throughout their journeys up and down the UK.”

“Network Rail has demonstrated an open, collaborative mindset in bringing Formula 1-derived software to the rail industry, and we expect further gains over a five-year partnership,”