Cordel Group wins contract from British rolling stock company Angel Trains

Cordel Group, a UK-based rail infrastructure management solutions provider, has bagged a five-year contract from British rolling stock company Angel Trains.

Under the contract, Cordel Group will be responsible for the installation of fully-automated hardware onto in-service passenger trains to enable the delivery of artificial intelligence (AI) powered insights for intelligent infrastructure.

Cordel Group said that its LiDAR and imagery capture technology will be installed on passenger trains run by Great Western Railways.

The rail infrastructure management solutions provider claimed that its automated processing will provide swift monitoring of network rail infrastructure, thereby minimising the requirement to operate special measurement trains.

Its technology will provide AI-powered inspection automation to Network Rail Limited on a high-frequency basis. It will deliver a ‘Digital Twin’ of survey-grade LiDAR with colocated high-resolution video that will be aligned to the linear reference system of Network Rail.

Cordel Group wins contract from British rolling stock company Angel Trains. Photo courtesy of David Ingham/Wikimedia Commons.

Malcolm Brown — Angel Trains CEO said: “At Angel Trains, we invest in new technologies that will enhance the UK’s railway systems. We are excited to work with Cordel, alongside Network Rail and Great Western Railways, to enable a more efficient management of our railways, and improve passenger experience across the country.”

Angel Trains owns over 4,000 passenger trains, which include the Class 165 fleet, which later this year will begin running with Cordel LiDAR and imagery.

Nick Smith — Cordel Group CEO said: “This is a major initiative for Cordel, Angel Trains, and the UK rail network. By capturing data in real-time from in-service passenger trains, we can provide Network Rail with a far more detailed picture of the state of rail infrastructure, moving from time-based maintenance to condition-based maintenance.

“As well as being more efficient in terms of resources, by focusing maintenance on key issues more promptly, we can help Network Rail provide a more resilient railway.”