Automatic Vehicle Inspection System

Transport for London (TfL) is seeking to engage with the market to understand available solutions for an automated vehicle inspection system to undertake condition inspection of rolling stock as part of routine maintenance activities.
TfL is seeking solutions capable of providing automated inspection of train bodyside, roof and underframe equipment as trains arrive at maintenance facilities. Solutions should be capable of identifying individual vehicles by painted number and capturing condition data of the vehicle during train movements.
Solutions should be capable of detecting, classifying and reporting defects and asset condition issues, including, but not limited to, overheating components (such as brake resistors, bearings, traction equipment, HVAC equipment, brake blocks, wheelsets, traction motors and gearboxes), graffiti, broken windows, missing, damaged or misaligned components, damaged collector shoes, underframe damage, out-of-gauge equipment, wheel profile defects, wheel flats and brake wear using video & thermal imaging and acoustic monitoring technologies.
The inspection capability should cover both sides of the vehicle, the roof and underframe, and be applicable to both multiple-unit and single-unit train formations. Solutions should provide secure capture, storage and management of inspection data, including images and sensor outputs, and utilise automated analytics, including Machine Learning (ML) and/or Artificial Intelligence (AI) where appropriate, to identify defects, trends and recurring issues and provide actionable information to maintenance personnel.
TfL is particularly interested in understanding how proposed solutions can reduce manual inspection effort, improve maintenance efficiency, increase asset availability and support condition-based maintenance through frequent, automated fleet inspections.
This planned procurement will be for a phased proof of concept and prototype trial and implementation at up to two London Underground Rolling...