Railway Infrastructure - RFID-based asset and inventory management - An implementation guideline with a focus on track infrastructure

RFID is a radio-frequency-based identification and reading system, which consists of three main elements:

RFID tagging as a technology in rail has become standard for railway vehicles, as the tag can be read even in difficult environments, and this IRS provides guidance on its usage in rail infrastructure. The technology is already widely applied in intermodal freight traffic, in accordance with the ISO 18000 series [18], EN 17230 [1] and GS1 standards and the corresponding identification keys and data exchange standards.

RFID technology for track assets not only provides information on the position of components in the track but, via its machine-readable, globally unique asset identifier, also makes it possible to access back-end databases containing detailed information on the components themselves. This information includes component type, date of installation, quality testing by the producer (QM system), maintenance issues (number of detected failures, number of disturbances since installation), and dates of replacement of sub-components. In other words, using the unique asset identifier encoded in an RFID tag, a track inspector equipped with a mobile device can access all the necessary asset data directly at the track. The implementation of RFID will be a major step towards the digitisation of rail infrastructure and a move towards a better overview of component performance and availability.

This IRS is mainly aimed at the following target audience: