Track Geometry

The share of rail freight transport in total domestic freight transport in Germany has risen moderately but steadily over the past few years. The political goal is to transfer a quarter of Germany’s freight traffic to rail by 2030. Climate-friendly freight transport is also expected to play a greater role in the steadily growing freight transport sector at the international level. An increase in the share of freight transported by rail will place enormous strain on the rail infrastructure. Regular inspections of track position and track components are therefore necessary in order to detect possible damage at an early stage, as errors in track geometry lead to premature wear of rails, fastenings or sleepers, as well as train wheels.

High-resolution 3D profile of tracks and track components

The Track Geometry Measurement System TGM measures the track geometry at high traveling speeds - automatically, precisely and contactless. The compact and robust measuring system is firmly installed under the measuring vehicle. The TGM is based on the light section method and records the track position, track bed, sleepers and fastenings in a single measurement process, providing digital 3D data. In addition to the pure track geometry, information on various track components can also be automatically extracted from the 3D point clouds. At a driving speed of 120 km/h, a profile is recorded every 5 millimetres; at lower traveling speeds, measurement accuracy in the sub-millimetre range can be achieved.