Network Rail Agreement Opens New Growth Opportunities
Scottish technology company Machines With Vision is stepping up its ambitions in the global rail maintenance market following a multi-million, multi-year contract with Network Rail. The agreement marks a significant milestone for the company as it seeks to address longstanding challenges in railway infrastructure inspection, particularly the difficulty of locating identified track defects accurately and efficiently.
The global rail maintenance sector is valued at approximately US$78 billion, presenting substantial opportunities for technology providers focused on improving inspection procedures, maintenance planning and infrastructure reliability. Machines With Vision aims to capture a share of this market by providing visual mapping and navigation solutions that help railway maintenance teams identify and reach defects with greater precision.
The company estimates that inaccurate defect location information costs the global rail industry approximately US$6 billion annually. These costs arise from repeat site visits, wasted staff hours, inefficient verification procedures and delays in completing essential maintenance work.
Beyond the financial impact, imprecise defect information can create serious safety concerns. Railway workers may need to spend additional time in potentially hazardous trackside environments while attempting to locate faults that have already been identified through inspections. By helping maintenance teams reach the correct location more quickly, Machines With Vision aims to reduce unnecessary track exposure while improving the effectiveness of railway maintenance operations.
The Network Rail agreement follows a successful two-year pilot programme, during which the technology was evaluated in a real-world railway infrastructure environment.
Visual Mapping Technology Improves Defect Location
Machines With Vision has developed a technology platform that uses cameras installed beneath inspection trains to create highly accurate, image-based geospatial maps of railway networks. The system captures visual information about track infrastructure and links it to precise location data, helping maintenance teams navigate directly to identified defects.
Traditional railway inspection processes can identify potential faults without always providing sufficiently precise information for maintenance crews to locate them quickly. This can lead to lengthy searches, repeated inspections and unnecessary movement around railway infrastructure.Machines With Vision seeks to address this problem by connecting visual railway mapping with accurate defect positioning. Its technology is designed to help infrastructure operators move from identifying potential issues to verifying and repairing them with fewer delays.
The company’s RailLoc system and Fault Navigator mobile application work together to guide maintenance personnel to the relevant locations. According to the company, the platform can direct crews to faults with millimetre-level accuracy.This precision is intended to improve the efficiency of maintenance activities by reducing the time workers spend searching for defects. Instead of concentrating on locating a reported issue, teams can devote more of their working time to inspecting, verifying and resolving the problem.The approach also supports wider efforts to modernise railway infrastructure management through automation, digital mapping and data-driven maintenance planning.
Network Rail Reports Significant Time Savings
The technology’s potential benefits have been highlighted by Network Rail representatives following the pilot programme and subsequent contract award.Mark Chestney, Infrastructure Monitoring Programme Manager at Network Rail, explained that locating suspected defects previously required an average of approximately one hour on site. With the new system, that process can be reduced to around five minutes.
The difference could deliver substantial operational benefits across a large railway network. Network Rail manages thousands of suspected defects each year, meaning that even a relatively small reduction in the time required to locate each issue can generate significant cumulative savings.Reducing the time spent searching for defects can also help limit workers’ exposure to trackside hazards. Railway environments present a range of occupational risks, including slips, trips and falls, making efficient access to inspection locations an important consideration for infrastructure operators.
Chestney noted that the reduction in search time could save thousands of working hours while lowering the amount of time employees spend exposed to these risks.The system may also help infrastructure managers respond more efficiently to operational problems. When defects require urgent attention, delays in locating the affected area can affect repair schedules and increase the operational consequences of infrastructure failures.
Chestney also highlighted the financial implications of emergency speed restrictions, which can cost thousands of pounds per minute in certain locations. By helping crews locate faults more quickly, the technology could support faster maintenance responses and reduce the time spent on activities that do not directly resolve the underlying issue.The ability to deploy workers to repair problems rather than search for them is a central part of the company’s value proposition.
Improving Railway Workforce Safety
Workforce safety is a major consideration in the development and deployment of railway inspection technology. Maintenance personnel frequently operate in complex environments where access restrictions, moving trains and other trackside hazards require careful planning and coordination.When defect locations are unclear, workers may need to spend additional time searching for the correct inspection point. This increases the duration of site activities and can introduce avoidable risks.
Machines With Vision aims to reduce these challenges by providing maintenance teams with more accurate information before they reach the track. Its visual mapping approach is designed to help crews identify the precise location of a suspected fault and plan their work more effectively.Anthony Ashbrook, CEO and co-founder of Machines With Vision, said railway networks are complicated and potentially dangerous environments, making the safety of workers and the public a priority.
He explained that directing track workers to the correct location on their first visit can reduce the risk of defects being missed while making maintenance work safer and more efficient.Accurate location information can also strengthen verification activities. When maintenance teams can return to a specific point with greater confidence, they can more readily assess whether a suspected defect exists, determine its condition and identify the appropriate next steps.These improvements could help infrastructure operators manage inspection workloads while making better use of available personnel and equipment.
Network Rail Highlights Asset Management Benefits
Brian Whitney, Engineering Expert (Track) at Network Rail, described Fault Navigator and RailLoc as an important development in the identification and verification of railway defects.According to Whitney, precise defect positioning can reduce unnecessary track exposure, improve verification activities and ensure maintenance resources are directed towards locations where work is required.
These capabilities have implications beyond the immediate time saved during individual inspections. Better defect location data can support more effective maintenance planning, improve coordination between inspection and repair teams, and help infrastructure managers prioritise work based on the condition of their assets.Railway operators must balance safety requirements, service reliability, maintenance costs and the availability of track access. Technology that reduces uncertainty during inspection and verification could help them make more informed decisions about how and when to deploy their teams.
Improved asset management is particularly relevant for extensive railway networks, where large volumes of inspection information must be translated into practical maintenance activities.By combining visual mapping with precise navigation, Machines With Vision aims to help infrastructure operators connect inspection findings more directly with the work required to address them.The company believes these capabilities can contribute to a more automated and efficient approach to railway maintenance as infrastructure operators seek to improve productivity without compromising safety.
Leadership Team Combines Railway and Technology Expertise
Machines With Vision has assembled a leadership team with experience spanning railway engineering, digital technology, commercial operations and the development of high-growth businesses.Ashbrook, the company’s CEO and co-founder, previously pioneered Mobile Visual Search technology. This technology approach is now used in applications including Amazon Shopping and Google Lens, providing experience in the development of visual systems that connect image recognition with practical user applications.
Chief Technology Officer Jon Owen brings experience in digitally mapping the UK railway network and developing what the company describes as the sector’s first visual inspection system. His background supports the company’s focus on combining railway knowledge with digital mapping and inspection capabilities.Chief Commercial Officer Justin Stroud previously served as European managing director of Sperry Rail, a business specialising in railway inspection services and technology. His experience provides commercial and industry knowledge relevant to the adoption of new inspection solutions by railway infrastructure operators.
Head of Operations Russell Licence spent nearly two decades in senior positions at Network Rail, giving the company additional operational experience within the railway infrastructure sector.Director Richard Lennox brings experience in scaling technology businesses through leadership roles at Skyscanner and Current Health. Skyscanner was acquired by Ctrip for US$1.7 billion in 2016, while Current Health was acquired by Best Buy for US$400 million in 2021.
The combination of technology development, railway operations and commercial experience is intended to support the company’s expansion into new markets and its engagement with major infrastructure operators.Ashbrook said the company had built a team combining advanced technology expertise with extensive railway industry knowledge. He added that the sector is positioned to become increasingly important to economies, societies and global sustainability.
Rail Industry Moves Towards Greater Automation
Railway infrastructure operators are under continuing pressure to improve operational performance, manage maintenance expenditure and maintain high safety standards. Digital tools that improve the quality and usability of inspection data are becoming increasingly relevant as operators seek more efficient ways to manage complex assets.Machines With Vision is positioning its technology within this wider shift towards automation and data-driven maintenance. Its platform is intended to reduce the gap between detecting a potential defect and sending a team to the correct location to investigate or repair it.
Accurate digital mapping can also provide a foundation for more integrated infrastructure management. When inspection findings can be connected to precise geographical information, operators have a clearer basis for coordinating field activities and allocating maintenance resources.The company’s immediate focus is on improving defect location, but the underlying approach could support broader efforts to streamline railway inspection and verification workflows.
For infrastructure owners, the potential benefits include reduced time spent on site searches, more efficient deployment of specialist personnel, fewer repeat visits and improved visibility into maintenance requirements.However, the practical value of these technologies depends on their integration into existing inspection processes, the reliability of location data and the ability of maintenance teams to use the information effectively. The Network Rail pilot provided an opportunity to assess the approach in an operational setting before the multi-year agreement.
International Expansion and Investment Plans
Following the Network Rail contract, Machines With Vision is expanding its engagement with national railway infrastructure operators across Europe, North America and Australasia.The company views international markets as an important opportunity to extend the use of its technology beyond the UK. Railway infrastructure operators in different regions face many of the same fundamental challenges, including the need to identify defects accurately, reduce unnecessary track access and make maintenance operations more productive.
The company expects to announce further contract wins as its international expansion progresses. It has also begun its latest external investment round to support continued growth and internationalisation.Additional investment could help the business expand its operational capabilities, support customer deployments and strengthen its position in the global railway technology market. The company has not disclosed further details of the investment round in the announcement.
Ashbrook said the business was excited about its international expansion plans and intended to work with investors who share its vision for the sector.The Network Rail agreement provides Machines With Vision with a significant commercial milestone as it seeks to establish itself as a supplier of precision mapping and navigation technology for railway infrastructure maintenance.
With a stated target market of US$78 billion and an estimated US$6 billion annual cost associated with inaccurate defect location, the company is positioning its technology around a clear operational challenge: helping railway maintenance teams spend less time searching for faults and more time resolving them.As the business expands into additional markets, its ability to demonstrate measurable improvements in safety, productivity and maintenance efficiency will be central to its ambitions for long-term growth.
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.