Railway Asset Scanning with LiDAR
One survey pass. Billions of georeferenced 3D points. A complete, measurement-grade record of your entire corridor — assets, structures, vegetation, clearances — captured at hi-rail vehicle speed without interrupting operations.
How Mobile LiDAR Works
The LiDAR scanner fires millions of laser pulses per second, measuring the time-of-flight of each return to millimetre precision. A tightly-coupled GNSS+IMU navigation solution records the scanner’s position and orientation at every pulse, transforming raw measurements into a georeferenced 3D point cloud — typically 4,000–7,000 points/m² at survey speeds. 360° cameras provide matched colour imagery for every point.
The track centreline is extracted directly from the point cloud, giving every asset a chainage address, horizontal offset from track centre, and vertical offset from rail head — the measurements that matter for railway engineering, derived automatically from the data.
Eight Core Applications
- Structure Gauge / Clearance Analysis — kinematic rolling stock envelope swept through the point cloud at every chainage; obstructions flagged automatically. Replaces weeks of manual gauging for new rolling stock introductions or route upgrades
- Asset Inventory — AI/deep-learning classification extracts signals, masts, cabinets, signs, culverts, platforms and level crossing equipment with chainage, offset and dimensional attributes. Complete 100-km asset register in days
- Vegetation Management — tree canopy classified and distances to clearance envelope computed; risk-prioritised encroachment map by chainage for proactive maintenance
- OCS / Catenary Measurement — contact wire height, stagger and catenary geometry extracted at every track position without disrupting train operations
- Bridge & Tunnel 3D Modelling — as-built models for dimensional checks, structural movement detection between repeat surveys, and remote maintenance planning
- Railway Digital Twin — repeat surveys at annual or semi-annual intervals enable automated change detection: what has moved, grown, degraded or appeared since the last survey
- Earthworks & Drainage Monitoring — cutting slopes, embankments and drainage channels modelled in 3D; volumetric change detection between surveys
- Ballast Shoulder Profiling — shoulder geometry and fouling extent captured from LiDAR to complement GPR substructure data
Technical Specifications
- GNSS + IMU tightly-coupled navigation for continuous position accuracy
- Point density: 4,000–7,000 pts/m² at 3 m range
- 360° calibrated cameras for colour point cloud and photographic record
- AI-assisted classification for automated asset extraction at scale
- Ground control points (GCPs) used in tunnels and GNSS-denied sections
- All data registered to your coordinate system and chainage
Integrated Survey Campaigns
The highest value comes from combining LiDAR with GPR and track geometry in a single mobilisation. One hi-rail pass gives you: GPR substructure (what’s under the ballast), geometry (how the track is riding), and LiDAR (everything above and beside the track). All three datasets share the same chainage reference. The integrated picture changes the maintenance decision.