Measurement of railway profiles using GPS integrated with other sensors

The Public Transport Corporation of the State of Victoria, Australia has introduced "train-simulators" to enhance the skills of drivers and thereby minimize fuel consumption and equipment wear. The efficiency of simulators depends upon the availability of accurate, continuous and uniform survey information to model the vertical and horizontal profiles of the track. The development and implementation of a rapid rail track mapping system based on the integration of the global position system with other sensors is reported. 200 kilometers of track data can be acquired per day without disruption to normal traffic.