On 1 October 2024, the XCross project, funded by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, officially launched with a kick-off meeting in Delft, the Netherlands.
Coordinated by Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), XCross is backed by a grant of EUR 2.04 million and will run for a period of 30 months. The project brings together a consortium of 10 partners from 7 countries, including the EUropean rail Research Network of EXcellence (EURNEX), Evopro Innovation, ProRail, the International Union of Railways (UIC), Northwest Metallurgical Research Association (AIMEN), the Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden), TXT E-Tech, Rotterdam Electric Tram (RET), and the University of Leeds. UIC will participate in Work Package 10 (Communication, dissemination, exploitation) with EURNEX as the WP leader.
The main objective of XCross is to enhance the monitoring, inspection, and maintenance of railway-crossing surface profiles. To achieve this, the project will develop new crossing inspection techniques using handheld 3D laser scanning technology and computer imaging, enabling fast, repeatable, and high-accuracy measurements of surfaces on crossings. These 3D scans will be used to create a digital twin (DT) of the crossing, employing advanced optimisation strategies to then determine the optimal geometry profile achievable through on-site welding and grinding techniques, considering lifecycle costs. In addition, augmented reality (AR) and 3D printing techniques will be developed to provide both virtual and physical visualisation guides for on-site procedures.
The kick-off meeting focused on organising the project’s objectives and planning the upcoming activities, including the first workshop, which will be run by Rotterdam Electric Tram (RET), and planning a first set of dissemination and communication activities.
The project is supported by the Europe’s Rail JU and its members.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
