Tube Lines, the tube maintenance company for London
Underground, is halfway through a trial of radio frequency
identification technology to help engineers pinpoint their exact
location when working in the capital's network of
tunnels.
The three-month trial, which will be completed next month, has
seen Tube Lines embed RFID tags across some of its tunnel network
while equipping its engineers with 250 Symbol MC9000 mobile
devices.
The tags provide location-based information to place an engineer
at a particular 20 metre length of track. A global positioning
system would normally be used to achieve this, but the system
cannot operate in tunnels.
Martyn Capes, project manager at Tube Lines, said the trials
involve putting location information onto the RFID tag, which is
generally then attached to a railway sleeper. An RFID reader built
into the Symbol device can then be used to tell the engineers on
the track where they are.
A camera is included so engineers can take pictures of
components.
The RFID trial is part of a massive overhaul and modernisation
of the London Underground. Tube Lines has sought to create a single
source of information from approximately 550 disparate systems,
including Access databases and 15,000 Excel spreadsheets. Once this
rationalisation is completed, it hopes to use just 10 products.
The company has developed a completely new IT infrastructure
based on Oracle Financials and the Maximo asset management
platform. Syclo, a developer of mobile applications, has configured
its Smart suite of mobile products to support the asset management
system.
By using the new system, Capes said Tube Lines has been able to
replace a 13-step asset management process with one comprising just
two steps.
Tube Lines had been using a paper-based system to submit tasks
and urgent work. However, the process routinely delayed work to the
extent that it often took more than three weeks from the time of
filing to being actioned.
With the introduction of the new mobile system, field workers
and service engineers are able to use real-time data entry to close
off orders, replacing what had been a 24-day process with one that
is completed in 24 hours.
Under the new regime, work orders are generated within the
Maximo software and assigned to a crew. Capes said the mobile
device runs an abridged version of the system, allowing staff to
download work plans and fault history. The engineer can also order
new parts and the system will check whether Tube Lines has the part
in stock and create an order.
Capes said, "Real-time data upload and download allows engineers
to view what work had previously been performed on a track or a
carriage, giving the complete work background.
"We are able to track virtually every asset, which has improved
our visibility of activities, and in turn has improved regulatory
compliance."