Northern Rail Introduces Advanced Remote Engine Monitoring for Class 170 Trains

Northern Rail has implemented advanced remote engine monitoring on its Class 170 Turbostar trains. This initiative is designed to increase train reliability and efficiency across Northern’s network. This was reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Developed by Instrumentel, the monitoring system was installed by the Derby Engineering Unit at the Neville Hill TrainCare Centre in West Yorkshire. This system is part of Northern Rail’s Intelligent Trains programme, which launched in 2022 to significantly improve train performance.

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This digital technology identifies engine issues before the train returns to the depot, reducing unexpected breakdowns and downtime for repairs. With this shift from reactive to predictive maintenance, Northern Rail aims to maximize train availability on its routes.

Fleet Director Iain Burnett emphasizes that remote monitoring aligns with Northern Rail’s maintenance strategy and highlights their partnership with Porterbrook on real-time monitoring for the Class 170 fleet, which enhances operational efficiency and reliability.

Chris Beales, Head of Digital Engineering at Porterbrook, notes the importance of adopting digital solutions within the rail industry and emphasizes that collaboration with operators like Northern Rail is essential to unlocking the full potential of this technology.

By adopting remote condition monitoring, Northern Rail aims to improve train availability and better support its nearly 2,500 daily services, which connect over 500 stations across northern England.

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