Optimize your maintenance strategy
Railways are notoriously complex. Successfully managing hundreds of miles of track, unmanned territories, and intricate timetables requires the ability to properly manage all physical assets, human capital and maintenance planning.
Good news is: we can help you! We at Hitachi Energy know that a high-performing asset management strategy directly benefits your operations and bottom line. Through digitalization, we want to equip your teams with the right data and tools to make better, faster decisions today.
What we can help you optimize:
- Physical assets
- Field work
- Maintenance
- Vegetation
Check out our software demos
Watch these 1-minute demo videos to see how your team can utilize Hitachi Energy software to maximize investment dollars and plan long-term capital requirements through predictive analytics.
Enterprise Asset Management
Track managers for the railway are responsible for hundreds of miles of assets, whether track infrastructure components like rail, ties, ballast and turnouts as well as rolling stock, work equipment, mechanical parts, fleet and intermodal. Hitachi Energy’s software solutions act as an overarching asset registry so that your team can keep tracks safe and clear of defects to maximize uptime and network availability for operations. Want a quick preview? This use case demo lets you walk in the shoes of a track manager applying our Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software to raise defects, review asset interventions in a particular location, create work orders and schedule maintenance.
Field Service Management
Field workers for the railway are responsible to maintain hundreds of miles of track infrastructure. Hitachi Energy’s software solutions act as day-to-day tool to ensure that your team maximize their use of track possession time to execute maintenance work orders as quickly and safely as possible. Want a quick preview? This use case demo lets you walk in the shoes of a field worker applying our Field Service Management (FSM) software to receive a work order notification, review the necessary attachments and complete the work order directly from the field.
Asset Performance Management
Asset managers for the railway are responsible for millions of dollars of infrastructure and rolling stock. Hitachi Energy’s software solutions can help shift your maintenance planning from reactive to preventative. Want a quick preview? This use case demo lets you walk in the shoes of an asset manager applying our Asset Performance Management (APM) software to receive a notification, review the error and take action.
Vegetation Management
Vegetation managers for the railway are responsible to maintain vegetation across hundreds of miles of track infrastructure. Hitachi Energy’s software solutions help your team prevent vegetation risks which can impair driver’s line of sight or cause crippling outages to your network. Want a quick preview? This use case demo lets you walk in the shoes of a track engineer applying our Hitachi Vegetation Manager (HVM) software to review a prioritized list of vegetation risks and schedule the preventative maintenance during routine maintenance and at the lowest total cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Railways need enterprise software for several reasons:
- Large-scale Operations: Railways are complex organizations with multiple departments and operations, including train operations, maintenance, customer service, finance, and administration. Enterprise software provides a centralized platform for managing these operations and ensuring that they are coordinated and efficient.
- Resource Planning: Enterprise software can be used to manage and plan resources, such as personnel, equipment, and materials. This helps to ensure that resources are allocated effectively and that there is no waste or duplication of effort.
- Data Management: Enterprise software provides a centralized database for storing and managing data related to railway operations. This information can be used to track performance, identify issues, and make informed decisions about future investments and upgrades.
- Collaboration: Enterprise software provides a platform for collaboration between different departments and teams within the railway organization. This helps to ensure that everyone is working together towards the same goal and that there is no duplication of effort.
- Regulatory Compliance: Railways are subject to a variety of regulations and safety standards. Enterprise software can help to ensure that these standards are met by providing tools for compliance monitoring and reporting.
Overall, enterprise software is essential for managing the complex operations of railways, planning resources, managing data, facilitating collaboration, and ensuring regulatory compliance. It provides a centralized platform for coordinating and optimizing railway operations, which is critical for ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the railway.
Software can help railways become more sustainable in several ways:
- Energy Management: Railway software can be used to optimize train speed and performance, reduce idle time, and manage energy consumption. This can help railways reduce their carbon footprint and energy costs.
- Maintenance Optimization: Railway software can be used to monitor the condition of railway infrastructure, identify areas that need maintenance or repairs, and schedule maintenance work. This helps to reduce the likelihood of breakdowns and accidents, which can lead to delays and additional energy consumption.
- Passenger Management: Railway software can be used to manage passenger flow and optimize the use of trains. This helps to reduce the number of trains required to transport passengers, which can help to reduce energy consumption and emissions.
- Data Analytics: Railway software can be used to collect and analyze data on train performance, passenger volumes, and other key metrics. This information can be used to optimize train schedules, reduce energy consumption, and improve the overall efficiency of railway operations.
- Alternative Fuels: Railway software can also be used to manage the use of alternative fuels, such as electric or hydrogen-powered trains. This can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the sustainability of railway operations.
Overall, software can help railways become more sustainable by optimizing energy use, reducing maintenance needs, managing passenger flow, collecting and analyzing data, and promoting the use of alternative fuels.
Software can help railways control vegetation in several ways:
- Planning and Mapping: Railway software can be used to create detailed maps of the railway network, including the location of trees, shrubs, and other vegetation. This information can be used to plan vegetation control operations and identify areas that require attention.
- Monitoring: Railway software can be used to monitor vegetation growth along the railway network. This can help to identify areas where vegetation is encroaching on the railway and needs to be removed. Some sophisticated models are able to predict tree species as well as health, height and growth rate of trees to determine what territories are at risk of service disruption.
- Scheduling: Railway software can be used to schedule vegetation control operations, including mowing, trimming, and herbicide application. This helps to ensure that vegetation is controlled in a timely and efficient manner.
- Reporting: Railway software can be used to generate reports on vegetation control operations, including the location and type of vegetation, the methods used to control it, and the results of those operations. This information can be used to track progress and identify areas where additional attention is required.
- Collaboration: Railway software can be used to facilitate collaboration between different teams involved in vegetation control operations, such as maintenance crews, environmental specialists, and project managers. This helps to ensure that everyone is working together towards the same goal and that vegetation control operations are carried out effectively.
Overall, software can help railways control vegetation by providing detailed planning and mapping capabilities, monitoring vegetation growth, scheduling operations, generating reports, and facilitating collaboration between different teams involved in vegetation control operations.
Software can help railways modernize operations and maintenance in several ways:
- Predictive Maintenance: Railway software can be used to monitor the condition of railway infrastructure, such as tracks, bridges, and signals, and predict when maintenance is required. This helps to reduce downtime and maintenance costs by allowing maintenance to be scheduled proactively, rather than waiting for breakdowns to occur.
- Real-time Monitoring: Railway software can be used to monitor train performance in real-time, including speed, location, and condition. This helps to improve safety, reduce delays, and optimize train schedules.
- Automation: Railway software can be used to automate routine tasks, such as ticket sales, scheduling, and dispatching. This helps to reduce the workload on staff and improve the efficiency of railway operations.
- Data Analytics: Railway software can be used to collect and analyze data on train performance, passenger volumes, and other key metrics. This information can be used to optimize train schedules, reduce energy consumption, and improve the overall efficiency of railway operations.
- Communication: Railway software can be used to facilitate communication between different teams involved in railway operations and maintenance, such as dispatchers, maintenance crews, and management. This helps to ensure that everyone is working together towards the same goal and that issues are resolved quickly and efficiently.
Overall, software can help railways modernize operations and maintenance by providing predictive maintenance capabilities, real-time monitoring, automation, data analytics, and communication tools. This can help to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and provide a better experience for passengers and cargo customers.
Let's Connect
We're eager to partner with you!
Ready to transform your railway?
Today’s demands on railways to digitalize and be more sustainable are propelling us towards the smart cities of tomorrow. We know that decisions need to be made faster and backed by accurate, dependable data.
From infrastructure to rolling stock, Hitachi Energy has automation and electrification solutions suitable for your network.
Let's get to work!