Railway robot does a half-hour job in 60 seconds

Siemens Mobility and Railway Robotics are extending their collaboration as the Railchap robot transitions from a pilot phase towards industrialisation. The development marks a step from testing in selected activities to broader operational use, with automated data capture supporting more efficient planning and execution of railway maintenance. During Easter, Railchap will be used to scan all turnouts on the line from Trondheim to Grong – a 180 km stretch covering 118 turnouts. The activity supports Siemens Mobility and infrastructure manager Bane NOR by providing improved field data from the track, with the aim of strengthening decision-making for maintenance and reducing the need for manual, time-consuming measurement work. Improving productivity, data quality and safety Developed by Railway Robotics AS founders Jørgen Torgersen and Kenneth Andersen, Railchap is designed to measure railway turnouts. Today, this work is largely carried out manually using a turnout gauge and spot checks. Today, turnouts are measured manually — bending down and writing notes on paper. It almost sounds unbelievable, but this is still how it’s done around the world Jørgen Torgersen The robot can significantly reduce the time required for each turnout measurement. While a manual measurement can take around half an hour per turnout, Railchap can complete the job in approximately 60 seconds with improved precision. The system measures with a laser at every 4 millimeter to create a complete 3D model of the turnout, providing a full overview instead of relying on a few spot checks. For Siemens Mobility and Bane NOR, the shift toward broader operational use is expected to deliver measurable productivity improvements alongside higher data quality. Automated scanning can help reduce manual work on site and shorten the time required to inspect turnouts, while also supporting more standardised documentation. More complete datasets can also enable earlier detection of deviations and provide a st