Railway inspection is the practice of examining rail tracks for flaws that lead to catastrophic failures causing accidents. According to the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis, track defects are the second cause of railway accidents in U.S. Some of the reasons causing track defects are shear stresses, wheel/rail contact stresses, thermal stresses, residual stresses, and dynamic effects. Moreover, due to contact stresses defects such as tongue lipping, gauge corner cracking and squats start as small surface breaking on the rail then enlarges and develops big cracks. Furthermore, other forms of surface and internal defects are corrosion, inclusions, seams, shelling, transverse fissures, and wheel burn. Thus, the various methods for rail inspections are such as ultrasound, visual inspection, liquid penetration inspection, eddy current inspection, magnetic particle inspection, radiography, magnetic induction, and electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT). In addition, nowadays rail inspection cars and hi-rail trucks are used for inspection. These cars and trucks are equipped with inspection equipment onboard such as probes and transducers underneath. The trucks are also equipped with GPS units with computers, ultrasound, tools, workbenches, and other equipment required to give a temporary fix if defects are found. Thus, railway inspection services ensure the safety and smooth operation of railways.
COVID-19 Impact Analysis
- Due to COVID-19, the government across all countries declared lockdown and various other restrictions. The imposed lockdown on the rail industry had disrupted the work of building railway tracks and the demand for transportation via railway had also fallen. Moreover, due to social distancing norms and other restrictions led to the unavailability of workforce for inspection. Furthermore, there was the unavailability of equipment required to repair railway tracks which disrupted the operation. The railway is an evolving sector that was affected by the pandemic and harmed the railway inspection services market.
Top Impacting Factors
Rise in regular inspection due to aging railway infrastructure, surge in government investment for railway development, and increase in use of railway of travelling will drive growth of the market.
However, high inspection cost, increased capital requirements, and surged maintenance cost hamper growth of the market.
Moreover, rise in need of advanced technology for better inspection, surge in number of railways accidents, and increase in demand for secure, safer, & efficient transport system can act as an opportunity for growth of the market.
Market Trends
Government investment for railway development
- Railway has proven to be the safest and secure mode of transportation. Thus, various developing countries such as India, China, Japan, and others have increased their investment towards the development of their railways.
- For instance, in 2018 Indian Railways rolled out its first self-propelled inspection car costing around $605,117 to save costly resources.
- Moreover, in 2020 U.S. government agreed to invest $320.6 million for railway infrastructure and safety improvement works in the country. Therefore, a rise in government investment to develop railway infrastructure will drive growth of the railway inspection services market.
Demand for secure, safer, & efficient transport system
- Continuous development in railway infrastructure and technological sector has provided people with a secure, safe & efficient transport system.
- For instance, according to World Health Organisation (WHO), about 1.3 million people die due to traffic road accidents each year. Moreover, 93 % of the global fatalities on road occur in low and middle economical countries though these countries have approximately 60 % of the world’s vehicles. Thus, demand for secure, safe, & efficient transport systems, is increasing the demand for railways which will act as an opportunity for the growth of railway inspection services market.
Key Benefits of the Report
- This study presents the analytical depiction of the railway inspection services market along with the current trends and future estimations to determine the imminent investment pockets.
- The report presents information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities along with challenges of the railway inspection services market.
- The current market is quantitatively analyzed from 2020 to 2030 to highlight the railway inspection services market growth scenario.
- The report provides detailed railway inspection services market analysis based on competitive intensity and how the competition will take shape in coming years.
Questions Answered in the Report
- Which are the leading market players active in the railway inspection services market?
- What would be the detailed impact of COVID-19 on the market?
- What current trends would influence the market in the next few years?
- What are the driving factors, restraints, and opportunities in the railway inspection services market?
- What are the projections for the future that would help in taking further strategic steps?
Railway Inspection Services Market Report Highlights
| Aspects | Details |
 By Solution |
|
 By Inspection Vehicle |
|
 By Track Measurement System |
|
 By Track Imaging System |
|
 By Region |
|
 Key Market Players | SGS S.A., Applied Technical Services, RAIL WORKS, Trackmaster Inc., EPSILON NDT, American Rail Engineers Inc, Nordco Inc., Loram Maintenance of Way Inc, Mountain States Contracting Inc, ENSCO Inc. |
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