Railway robot does a half-hour job in 60 seconds
Imagine reducing inspection time from 30 minutes to just 60 seconds! The innovative Railchap robot from Railway Robotics and Railigent from Siemens Mobility delivers high efficiency and cost savings for the ERTMS rollout. The technology automates critical railway inspections, ensuring faster installations and improved data quality for modern digital railway projects in the future.
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
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 stronger basis for planning interventions. In practice, this can help reduce lifecycle costs, improve network availability by limiting track access requirements, and lower operational risk.
From pilot use to wider operational deployment
The collaboration has so far focused on piloting how robotic inspections can support turnout measurement and documentation. As the work now moves towards industrialisation, the ambition is to establish a more scalable way of collecting consistent, high-quality data from the railway network and to integrate this data into established maintenance processes.
Railchap is a lightweight robotic platform designed for automated inspection and light-maintenance tasks. It is remote controlled by an operator within line of sight, enabling safe and reliable deployment without sending engineers onto the track. The platform is designed to enable direct upload of measurement data to customer repositories and integration with asset management systems. This supports a digital-first approach to maintenance, where frequent and reliable measurements can be used to track asset condition over time.
Standards and integration readiness
Railchap is engineered with standards compliance in mind. Railway Robotics’ documentation states that the measurement system is engineered to EN 13848-4 and EN 13232-5/6/7, with the robot design compliant with EN 15955. The platform is also described as supporting integration with asset management systems, allowing inspection data to be used more effectively across maintenance workflows.
By moving from pilot activities towards industrialisation, Siemens Mobility and Railway Robotics aim to establish a robust and repeatable way of deploying robotic inspection at scale, supporting the continued digitalisation of railway maintenance in Norway.
Contact for journalists in Norway
Christian Jahr
Head Communication & Marketing at Siemens Mobility AS
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-jahr-1721a43/
Phone: +47 952 26 088
Email: christian.jahr@siemens.com