Autonomous drone operations for rail infrastructure
Rail networks are long, linear, and largely unattended. Inspecting tracks, overhead line equipment, and supporting structures traditionally means sending teams out on foot or by vehicle: slow, expensive, and limited in frequency. Monitoring perimeters across hundreds of kilometres is practically impossible without aerial coverage. And when something goes wrong along a corridor, emergency services are often flying blind until they reach the scene.
Avy's long-range autonomous drone network changes what is operationally possible for rail.
What Avy detects
The Aera flies rail corridors autonomously, capturing detailed visual and infrared imagery for review. Detected items from Avy operations on rail infrastructure include:
Fire safety equipment condition, unauthorised or incorrectly parked vehicles, vegetation encroachment on the corridor, structural damage to overhead line portal gantries and catenary masts, and general track-side anomalies requiring follow-up inspection.
What Avy does for rail
Infrastructure inspection
The Aera covers up to 100km on a single charge at 100km/h, making it capable of surveying long rail corridors in a single flight. Tracks, overhead line structures, bridges, and supporting infrastructure can be inspected on a scheduled basis without mobilising ground teams, reducing cost and increasing inspection frequency.
Security and perimeter monitoring
A docking station positioned along a rail corridor provides persistent aerial coverage of the surrounding area. The drone launches on schedule or on alert, surveys the perimeter, and returns autonomously. No operator needs to be on site.
Emergency response
When an incident occurs along a rail corridor, a collision, a trespass, a track obstruction, the Avy system can have eyes on the scene within minutes, providing rail operators and emergency services with real-time situational awareness before ground teams arrive.
Avy works with rail infrastructure operators across Europe. If you are evaluating autonomous drone operations for inspection, monitoring, or emergency response, contact us to discuss your network.