In Barcelona have Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) presented new projects in early November 2026 aimed at identifying faults in vehicles and infrastructure earlier. On 4 November, TMB presented at the Tomorrow Mobility World Congress approaches combining cameras, microphones and high-frequency sensors on trains and in tunnels to automatically detect deviations in vehicle dynamics, unusual noises or changes in track alignment. Meanwhile, FGC’s research and development pages document ongoing projects to monitor axles and bogies, as well as systems that measure structural warning signals in tunnels.
According to TMB, the new sensor systems are primarily intended to improve operational and infrastructure safety and prevent unplanned disruptions. The video technology is directed at technical assets; general video surveillance of passengers is not an aim of the projects. FGC says that sensor concepts for bogies have already been trialled and partly validated on its own rolling stock. Neither TMB nor FGC gave a specific date for full-scale deployment.
Both operators are thus moving away from conventional time- or interval-based inspections towards condition-based maintenance and, as the data base grows, predictive maintenance. This relies on continuously capturing relevant condition data, analysing it using data-driven models, and integrating the results into maintenance processes. TMB outlines the fitting of sensors to trainsets and the integration of cameras for image analysis; FGC adds model-based approaches to identifying patterns in axles and bogies.
Budget documents and public tenders from both companies show that funding has been earmarked for installation, maintenance and data analysis. Across the European rail sector, the digitalisation of maintenance is seen as a way to increase availability and reduce disruptions. At the same time, it brings requirements for data security, interoperable interfaces and the training of technical staff.
The reported initiatives are backed by public announcements from the companies and reports from Barcelona. They describe ongoing pilot projects and development work. The operators have not quantified claims about future effects—for example, reliable reductions in failures or precise implementation timelines—and these should therefore be regarded as aims, not results already achieved.
The immediate context for the reports is TMB’s presentation on 4 November 2026 at the Tomorrow Mobility World Congress, alongside FGC’s updated project information. Both initiatives clearly locate these developments in Barcelona and Catalonia and mark the transition from isolated tests towards more widely supported, data-driven maintenance approaches at Metro Barcelona and FGC’s regional and suburban network.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).