Sydney Trains has extended its engagement with Agonics to continue delivering automated track alignment and track and tunnel clearance measurements across the Sydney Metropolitan rail network.

The extension reflects the ongoing use of LiDAR-derived engineering outputs within routine maintenance workflows, where scalability, repeatability, safety, and speed of delivery are key operational requirements.

From a Simple Question to Operational Capability

In 2021, Sydney Trains initiated a proof of concept to evaluate whether routinely captured LiDAR data could be used to automate a range of manual engineering measurement tasks traditionally performed in the rail corridor.

Agonics was selected by Sydney Trains and delivered the proof of concept across approximately 50 kilometres of network, assessing eight routine maintenance and compliance use cases.

In close collaboration with Sydney Trains surveyors and subject matter experts, all eight use cases were successfully demonstrated, confirming that LiDAR-derived measurements could be reliably integrated into Sydney Trains’ engineering and maintenance processes.

Configuration, Not Development

The proof of concept did not require the development of new measurement algorithms. Agonics had already developed railway-specific LiDAR measurement engines within its XERRA platform as far back as 2019 when a clearance analysis for a planned over-dimensional load was performed between Corinda and Thallon on the Queensland Rail network. That project required rapid analysis that only cloud computing and scalable database storage could deliver.

The work with Sydney Trains focused on configuring these existing capabilities to align with NSW network standards, asset definitions, and reporting requirements. This distinction is important: in rail environments, value is not only created by generating measurements from geospatial data, but by ensuring those measurements are immediately usable within established engineering and safety workflows.

Equally important was the ability to deploy and iterate quickly. Because the underlying capability already existed, the proof of concept could move from concept to validated outputs across multiple use cases within a compressed timeframe.

From Proof of Concept to Scaled Operational Delivery

Following the successful proof of concept, Sydney Trains progressed the MIDT Measurement Inspection Digital Twin program through formal procurement and Agonics has retained responsibility for automated track alignment measurements and automated track and tunnel clearance assessments where multiple kinematic vehicle outlines are assessed network-wide.

These outputs are embedded within engineering workflows and support repeatable measurement of track alignment and infrastructure clearances derived from LiDAR data.

Engineering Assurance Remains Central

Automated measurement does not remove the need for engineering assurance. While XERRA generates repeatable engineering measurements directly from LiDAR data, Sydney Trains retains responsibility for verifying that the resulting reports satisfy its engineering, maintenance and compliance requirements before they are accepted for operational use.

To support this process, Sydney Trains licences XERRA internally, enabling engineers to rapidly review the underlying LiDAR and imagery, interrogate measurements, and independently validate report outputs. This provides a transparent and efficient assurance process, allowing large volumes of automated reports to be evaluated quickly while maintaining confidence in the engineering decisions derived from them.

This combination of automated measurement and independent engineering assurance has been an important element in successfully deploying the capability at network scale.

Network-Scale Measurement

Automated track alignment measurement now replaces approximately 22,000 manual field measurements each year, supporting annual track stability assessments across the 1,500 km Sydney Metropolitan network.

This shift reduces the need for corridor access, improving safety outcomes and lowering the exposure associated with live operational environments.

Just as importantly, it enables measurement at network scale.  This scalability allows engineering teams to maintain consistent coverage across the network while reallocating effort toward higher-value maintenance activities.

The ability to deliver these outputs efficiently, within short timeframes and at scale has been central to the sustained operational use of the system.

Engineering Outputs Not Just Visualisation.

While LiDAR is often positioned as a visualisation technology, its operational value in rail lies in producing authoritative engineering measurements that can be used directly in maintenance and compliance workflows.

The key distinction is between systems that visualise rail corridor data and systems that generate scalable, repeatable engineering outputs aligned to rail standards.

At Sydney Trains, Agonics’ focus is on the latter: transforming LiDAR into authoritative engineering measurement that can be deployed rapidly, independently assured, scaled across the network, and integrated into day-to-day engineering processes.

Sydney Trains’ continued engagement reflects the sustained value of this approach in supporting safe, efficient, and scalable rail infrastructure management.

Track and Tunnel Clearance Assessments automated in XERRA.

Track Alignment Measurement in XERRA. Automated alignment measurements are performed in the point cloud and compared to design alignments for track stability analysis.