MERCURY: multi-platform monitoring system for railway infrastructure safety

Abstract

The MERCURY project aims to develop an innovative multi- platform monitoring system designed to support the inspection and maintenance of regional railway infrastructures, with the ultimate goal of implementing a Decision Support System (DSS). This objective is achieved through a modular and scalable framework capable of integrating data from different sources. MERCURY addresses the critical need for regional railway operators to have a flexible tool that responds to the specific geological and structural vulnerabilities of the territories they traverse. Optimising maintenance procedures is essential for averting critical conditions that could compromise passenger safety, while simultaneously minimising costs related to line downtime and manual on-site inspections. This study discusses the preliminary results obtained following the in-situ installation of a sensor network (comprising flat jacks, capacitive probes, crack gauges, and strain gauges) in the Scrajo locality, situated within the municipality of Vico Equense (Naples, Italy), along the Circumvesuviana railway network. This site was selected as a strategic testbed for the MERCURY project due to its susceptibility to landslides (triggered by rockfall or topple) and rapid debris flows, as exemplified by the historical landslide event of 1966. The implemented infrastructure is designed to monitor both exogenous phenomena, such as landslides (tracked via capacitive probes and weather stations) that could impact the railway track, and endogenous factors, including structural damage to underground assets (monitored via flat jacks, strain gauges, crack meters, and velocimeters). Consequently, the system enables the comprehensive observation of both potential environmental triggers and their direct effects on railway assets.