Scottish technology company Machines With Vision is targeting the global US$78 billion rail maintenance sector after securing a multi-million, multi-year contract with Network Rail, as imprecise defect location data is estimated to cost the industry US$6 billion a year worldwide through repeat visits and wasted crew time.

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Network Rail's ultrasonic test unit fitted with Machines With Vision’s RailLoc sensor crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct

Beyond the significant financial cost, inaccurate defect location can also create a serious safety risk, unnecessarily exposing rail workers to potentially hazardous trackside environments as they search for defects that have been identified but cannot be precisely located.

Machines With Vision has developed innovative technology that uses cameras fitted to the underside of inspection trains to build a highly accurate image-based geospatial map of any railway network, enabling higher levels of safety, efficiency, and automation for railway infrastructure inspection and maintenance.

“Rail networks are complicated and dangerous environments,” said Machines With Vision CEO and Co-founder Anthony Ashbrook, “and the safety of workers and the general public is paramount. Ensuring that track workers get to the right place first time minimises the risk of a missed defect, keeping trains running safely and efficiently while making maintenance work itself safer.”

Machines With Vision maps the track visually and navigates crews directly to faults with millimetre accuracy via the company’s RailLoc system and Fault Navigator mobile app.

The contract win follows a successful pilot carried out with Network Rail over a two-year period.

Mark Chestney, Infrastructure Monitoring Programme Manager at Network Rail, said: “For every suspect, it would previously take on average an hour once you got on site to find it, now we’re talking five minutes. We have thousands of suspects every year, so that’s thousands of hours saved and thousands of hours of reduced exposure to slips, trips, and falls.”

Mark Chestney added: “With emergency speed restrictions costing thousands of pounds a minute in certain locations, deploying people to fix things rather than find things is a much more efficient way of working.”

Brian Whitney, Engineering Expert (Track) at Network Rail, said: “Fault Navigator and RailLoc represent a significant step forward in how we identify and verify rail defects. Accurate defect location reduces unnecessary track exposure, improves the effectiveness of verification activities and helps ensure maintenance resources are targeted where they are needed most. The potential benefits for workforce safety, productivity and asset management are considerable.”

Machines With Vision’s leadership team combines deep railway expertise with extensive experience in technology and high-growth businesses. CEO and Co-founder Anthony Ashbrook pioneered Mobile Visual Search, now used in apps including Amazon Shopping and Google Lens. CTO Jon Owen played a key role in digitally mapping the UK rail network and developed the sector’s first visual inspection system. CCO Justin Stroud is the former European MD of Sperry Rail, while Head of Operations Russell Licence spent almost two decades in senior roles at Network Rail. Director Richard Lennox brings extensive scaleup experience from leadership positions at Skyscanner, acquired by Ctrip for $1.7 billion in 2016, and Current Health, acquired by Best Buy for $400 million in 2021.

CEO Ashbrook said: “We have built a team that combines high-level technology and rail sector experience, and this combination positions us to become a key player as the market continues to evolve towards increasing automation. Many think of rail as an historic industry, when in truth it is set to become even more integral to economies, societies, and global sustainability going forward.”

The news comes as Machines With Vision expands its work with other national railway infrastructure operators across Europe, North America, and Australasia, while the company has also embarked on its latest external investment round to support its continued international growth.

Anthony Ashbrook added: “We’re excited about our international expansion plans and expect to announce related contract wins in due course, as we accelerate our internationalisation with investors who share our vision.”

About Machines With Vision

Machines With Vision is a rail technology company creating transformative navigation and automation solutions for the international rail industry. Through expertise from other sectors, such as computer vision, robotics and autonomous vehicles, the company is working towards a new golden age of railways, delivering sustainable, safe, reliable and low-cost transportation of people and goods.

For more information, please visit: https://www.machineswithvision.com/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008202957/en/

Media contact:
Nick Freer, nick@freerconsultancy.com

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