Continuous Structural Monitoring for the Casasimarro Railway Bridge

A national railway infrastructure manager deployed a continuous structural-monitoring solution for the Casasimarro railway bridge using accelerometers, sensor connectivity and data analytics. The solution analyses vibration patterns and correlates them with railway traffic and relevant external conditions to provide a more accurate view of the asset's behaviour in operation. This complements periodic inspections with continuous evidence that can support condition-based maintenance and earlier engineering decisions

Safety

Earlier Structural Risk Detection

Visibility

Continuous Asset Condition Insight

Maintenance

Condition Based Intervention Support

Innovation

Predictive and Digital-Twin Readiness

From periodic inspections to continuous structural intelligence

Railway bridges and viaducts are critical assets whose structural integrity is fundamental to safe operations. Periodic inspections provide essential control points, but they do not always capture the full impact of daily train movements, changing loads and external conditions between inspection cycles

Objectives

Implement continuous structural monitoring using accelerometers and sensor data to analyse bridge vibrations, correlate them with railway traffic and external factors, and provide engineering teams with a more complete understanding of real structural behaviour

Opportunity

Continuous monitoring enables the infrastructure manager to move from isolated observations towards trend-based assessment and evidence-led maintenance. Over time, the collected data can support predictive degradation models and a digital twin of the bridge or wider infrastructure portfolio

Turning structural signals into actionable railway-maintenance information

NTT DATA supported the deployment of a monitoring approach that combines field instrumentation, traffic correlation and structural-data analysis. The solution provides ongoing insight into how the bridge responds to actual railway operations

Key Challenges

Capturing reliable vibration data in an operational railway environment with changing traffic and external conditions

Differentiating normal structural responses from patterns that may require engineering attention

Correlating sensor observations with train movements and contextual data to improve interpretation

Providing useful information for maintenance teams while preserving the role of specialist structural assessment

Solution

Deployed continuous bridge instrumentation

Monitoring structural response throughout day-to-day railway operations

Enabled continuous structural monitoring

Installed accelerometers to continuously capture vibration and structural-response data, extending visibility beyond periodic inspections

Correlated vibrations with railway traffic

Combined structural measurements with railway traffic and contextual data to interpret bridge behavior under real operating loads

Enabled anomaly-oriented analysis

Analyzed monitoring data to detect changes in vibration patterns and flag behaviors that may require further engineering review

Prepared data for predictive models and digital twins

Built a time-series data foundation for degradation models, structural scenario analysis and future maintenance and renewal planning

Impact

Continuous structural evidence strengthens safety and condition-based maintenance

The continuous monitoring solution strengthens operational safety and condition-based maintenance by improving visibility into the bridge’s in-service behaviour, enabling earlier detection of abnormal structural patterns and establishing a data foundation for predictive degradation models and a future infrastructure digital twin

Featured
success stories

Empowering field operations through digitalized service management and improving safety conditions trough connected worker technologies

View all success stories

Transportation

Aviation

VR Safety Training

An airline transformed cabin crew safety training using virtual reality to improve operational efficiency, scalability, and training quality.

VR Safety Training

ring road interchange in the city at night

Transportation

Aviation

Cost Efficency Program

A transportation group launched a structured cost efficiency program to optimize supplier performance and reduce operating costs.

Cost Efficency Program