Swedish Transport Administration & qtms

On the Malmbanan, daily track data is now being collected in an operational environment, with the goal of reducing traffic-impacting faults and increasing the ability to act in time. 

WHY – the need for more frequent and operational track data 

Within the MAJ project (Measurement of Infrastructure from Railway Vehicles), the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) is exploring new ways to collect and utilize track condition data to enable condition-based maintenance. The project does not aim to replace traditional methods, but rather to complement them with more frequent and continuous information, directly from vehicles in operation. 

Trafikverket has long been working to modernize and digitalize railway maintenance, and the collaboration with QTMS is a concrete step in that direction. 

Daily data from Malmbanan 

By measuring more frequently and directly in the operational environment, the opportunity increases to: 

• Identify trends in track geometry before they lead to remarks or disruptions. 

• Plan and follow up on the effects of maintenance actions faster and more precisely. 

• Understand seasonal effects and other cause-effect relationships. 

HOW - technology and data flow behind QTMS in the MAJ project

Since autumn 2023, one of Railcare’s TRAXX locomotives has been operating daily on the Malmbanan equipped with QTMS. The locomotive acts as a rolling measurement platform and collects detailed information about track condition – fully automatically, without affecting traffic. 


The measuring equipment includes:

• Laser sensors for track geometry parameters such as lateral position and track gauge. 

• 3D accelerometers, gyroscopes, and microphones capturing motion, vibration, and acoustic profiles. 

• GNSS and wheel rotation sensors for precise positioning along the track. 

• Industrial-grade hardware with IP65 certification, developed to withstand cold, snow, dirt and vibrations. 

• The hardware is tested according to EN standards for railway environments (EN50155, EN50121, EN61373). 

Image: Installed laser sensors currently

focused on measuring lateral position and gauge.

QTMS measures track conditions daily along the entire Malmbanan and delivers:

• Continuous (daily) measurement data and analysis with the ability to act on faults and trends. 

• Track geometry parameters defined according to SS EN 13848 for standardized and comparable analysis. 

• Trend and degradation rate calculated at every position along the railway to detect long-term deterioration. 

• Automated alerts and insights: 

  • Locations currently exceeding threshold values. 

  • Locations where future exceedance is expected based on trends. 

  • Locations with abnormal impact signatures linked to infrastructure objects or “unknown” influences.  

    
    

Data Flow

Through an automated pipeline, data is analyzed and linked to Trafikverket’s infrastructure systems.  From data, information is created that indicates where faults exist – and where faults are about to occur. 

Image: Example showing how collected track geometry data (vertical irregularity) is converted into automated delivery of information and insights. 

Everything is delivered directly into Trafikverket’s system environment via API – with no need for new tools. 

Image: View from Optram showing how QTMS-generated UH1 alerts related to vertical geometry are repeatable and align well with the most recent measurement from the measuring vehicle. Optram displays insights over time [yyyy-mm-dd] on the y-axis and position [km] on the x-axis for the relevant section. 

Some insights and learnings so far 

QTMS has been collecting and analyzing track data along the Malmbanan since autumn 2023. Three observations can already be confirmed: 

• The hardware withstands real-world winter operation 
  

  QTMS has functioned stably despite snow, ice, moisture and vibrations. This is an important validation of the hardware under extreme conditions. 

• Automatic transfer to Trafikverket is functional 
  

  All data and insights are transmitted to Trafikverket’s systems via API without manual handling. Standardized formats allow the data to be analyzed directly in existing tools. 

• Seasonal effects are measurable – Frost has affects track geometry 

  The frequent measurements have shown observable trends in track geometry. For example, QTMS has recorded the effects of frost heave, where ground movement affects track alignment – something that has previously been difficult to monitor in detail. These “seasonal effects” have significant magnitude when assessing infrastructure conditions. 

Next steps

The collaboration with Trafikverket continues, where we will continuously: 

• Work further on integrating the information into operations – and making it usable by more stakeholders. 

• Continue the ongoing work of quality assurance and data analysis, including development of insights on degradation rates and trend anomalies. 

• Evaluate automated alerts and visualizations. 

• Explore how more frequent data can be used in more roles within planning and follow-up of maintenance actions. 

Meet the QTMS team

Behind the daily work on the Iron Ore Line is a team that combines technology, analysis, and hands-on experience. Here are two of the key individuals in the MAJ project: 

Martin Höjer
Product owner, QTMS


"Our goal is to make track data useful – not just available. This project shows how the technology can work in reality and how we can learn faster by measuring more often.” 

Tobias Allgulander
Responsible for hardware and assembly

“Making the technology work in real operational environments – with snow, cold, and vibration – requires robust solutions. This project shows it can be done. And it’s great to see it rolling every day.”