Japan is home to over 200 railway companies of various sizes. Small-scale regional railway companies, in particular, are grappling with challenging business conditions due to a declining birthrate, an aging population, and the recent coronavirus pandemic. Despite these challenges, it is imperative for these companies to conduct thorough inspections and maintenance of railway facilities and rolling stock to ensure the safety and stability of train operations. In this study, we developed a train patrol support application software that aligns with the requirements outlined in the “Maintenance Standard for Railway Structures (Track Part)” in Japan. This application software is designed to facilitate a practical approach to train patrol support using smartphones, offering a cost-effective track condition management solution suitable for small regional railway companies. We conducted experimental measurements on the commercial lines of several railway companies using the developed application software and analyzed the utility of the obtained measurement data, including acceleration data and forward-view video data, from different angles of dip. Our findings suggest that acceleration data could be instrumental in managing train vibrations by offsetting the impact of the smartphone’s angle of dip. Similarly, forward-view video data could be crucial for inspecting the condition of the railway line and its immediate surroundings, with the effectiveness of the data varying according to the angle of dip at which the smartphone is positioned. By integrating this method into regular train patrols, we propose that it could enable track inspections to be conducted remotely from an office, thereby assisting in the maintenance and management efforts of regional railway companies.

Smartphone; train patrol; track condition monitoring