Although the funicular is just 200 metres long, it has played a vital role in the local transport concept in Luxembourg since the end of 2017. It connects Pfaffenthal railway station with the station immediately adjacent to Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge on Kirchberg Plateau. To date, over 5.5 million passengers have used the system, which transports up to 10,000 guests per day.

The system comprises two funiculars that run in parallel, each with two vehicles, which can be operated completely independently. In addition to this technical redundancy, maintenance plays a key role in the availability of the railways.

Starting position

From the outset, operator Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL), the state railway company, has therefore relied entirely on digital maintenance software SAMBESI from Swiss company REMEC. “As newcomers and cable car novices, during the works visits by our cable car manufacturer GARAVENTA, we came across REMEC, which has plenty of experience with cable cars. REMEC helped us to find our way around the system maintenance,” railway company Infrastructure Manager Martin Dahm reports.

As well as from human knowledge, the operators are also benefiting from adaptation of the software to their needs. “Whether checklists, deadlines or technical specifications: SAMBESI has been tailored to us in detail and the content has been checked by the cable car manufacturer,” Dahm says.

The software, which runs on five company tablets, is essentially selfexplanatory and intuitive to use, and it replaces the thick maintenance books and mountains of paper otherwise used to document maintenance and due diligence.

Organising tasks

“All tasks and their fulfilment are documented in SAMBESI. This means on the one hand that nothing gets forgotten and on the other hand that internal communication functions optimally,” Dahm is pleased to report.

Whether shift change or sick leave: every machine operator knows what has already been done, what is still to be done and even which tasks it has been possible to prioritise, such as during the quiet night shift. “Our team can therefore organise itself very flexibly and freely, which encourages cohesion and productivity,” the Infrastructure Manager says. Additional information is also shared, such as inspection dates or events that are expected to produce high passenger numbers.

Documenting work

“Every problem and its solution are immediately documented in a legally watertight way on the tablet on site, with photos and keywords. “This means everyone has the same level of knowledge,” Dahm emphasises. The exploded drawings from the railway manufacturer are particularly helpful for maintenance. The machine operator can stand right by the component and see all the technical documentation, such as plans and guides, on the tablet.

“SAMBESI is also invaluable for our operations managers. With the software, they can analyse problems, improve processes and plan tasks. They can therefore undertake predictive maintenance,” Dahm outlines. Not least, the knowledge remains unchanged, even in the case of personnel fluctuations: the archive in the cloud does not forget.

Implementation

The software was integrated into the business with strong support from REMEC, as CEO Johannes Stadler reports. “Not only did we tailor the software to the needs in Luxembourg; we also provided onsite training – in consultation with cable car manufacturer GARAVENTA, control system supplier SISAG and the operator.”

Two weeks before the railway opened, the operating staff had already worked intensively with SAMBESI, and the team came through the baptism of fire with no problem. Afterwards, REMEC also remained on hand for the operators via remote maintenance. “We can look at the system at any time, connect up and provide maintenance tips,” Stadler says.

Constant updates and the cloud installed in Switzerland ensure data protection and IT security. Dahm’s conclusion is therefore: “If we as newcomers were able to cope with maintenance using SAMBESI under public pressure, then it can work anywhere!” ts