Historical and Ongoing Displacements on a Rail Corridor Monitored with Millimetric Accuracy
Ensuring Railway Safety in Northern Ireland through Satellite-Based Monitoring
Northern Ireland’s railway network serves as a vital transportation artery, connecting communities and facilitating the movement of an estimated 15 million passengers annually. The safety and reliability of this network depend on meticulous monitoring to ensure that the rail corridor remains resilient to geohazards such as ground displacement, subsidence, and slope instability.
Traditional inspection methods, while effective to an extent, face significant limitations that leave gaps in the monitoring process. To address these challenges, Geofem conducted a groundbreaking pilot study leveraging Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) technology. This innovative approach enables the monitoring of historical and ongoing displacements with millimetric accuracy, ensuring the safety and efficiency of Northern Ireland’s railway infrastructure.
Highlights
The Challenge: Gaps in Traditional Inspection Methods
Northern Ireland's railway network spans approximately 363 km, crossing diverse terrains that include urban areas, rural landscapes, and regions with dense vegetation. Maintaining the integrity of this extensive infrastructure requires regular inspections to detect early signs of ground movement or structural changes that could compromise safety.
However, traditional visual inspections and in-person surveys, typically conducted once a year, have significant drawbacks:
1. Limited Frequency
Annual inspections create long intervals between assessments, during which subtle ground movements or structural instabilities may occur unnoticed. These delays can lead to undetected risks that may escalate into costly repairs or safety hazards.
2. Service Disruptions
Conducting physical inspections often requires temporary closures of railway lines to ensure the safety of workers. These closures disrupt passenger services and freight operations, impacting both the economy and public convenience.
3. Terrain Challenges
Sections of the railway corridor that traverse areas with dense vegetation or difficult-to-access landscapes are harder to inspect using traditional methods. This limitation further increases the risk of undetected issues in these regions.
These challenges underscored the need for a more efficient, comprehensive, and
non-invasive monitoring solution.
Geofem’s pilot study underscores the transformative potential of DInSAR technology in railway monitoring. By leveraging satellite-based analysis, the Northern Ireland railway network can be monitored with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency.
The ability to remotely detect and address geohazards not only enhances passenger safety but also minimises service disruptions and reduces maintenance costs. Furthermore, the sustainable nature of DInSAR aligns with the growing emphasis on environmentally responsible infrastructure management.
As this pilot study demonstrates, DInSAR offers a scalable, cost-effective solution for monitoring rail corridors and other critical infrastructure. With its ability to combine historical insights and real-time monitoring, it provides stakeholders with the tools they need to build a safer, more resilient future for transportation networks.
For more information on how satellite-based geohazard monitoring can benefit your transportation infrastructure, contact Geofem today.
Conclusion: Enhancing Railway Safety and Resilience
