In order to reduce the interruption of locomotive service due to equipment failure and reduce the cost in the life cycle, it is very important to perform preventive maintenance on critical locomotive equipment (switch machines, screen doors, signaling systems, rails, etc.). On-line monitoring can take necessary preventive actions before abnormal conditions leading to failures.
For example, the motor current of a switch machine can be monitored by sensors. If the current deviates from the normal value, it means that there may be equipment failure and preventive maintenance is required. A quickly scheduled maintenance can avoid interruptions to track operations, leading to significant cost savings.

Typical applications at the wayside:
Orbital Target Monitoring
Switch machine
track circuit
screen door
Substations (circuit breakers for transformers…)