The problem of the reproduction of the railway geometric layout in the global spatial system is currently solved in the form of measurements that use geodetic railway networks and also, in recent years, efficient methods of mobile positioning (mainly satellite and inert). The team of authors from the Gdańsk University of Technology and the Maritime University in Gdynia as part of the research project InnoSatTrack is looking for effective and efficient methods for the inventory of railway lines. The research is part of a wider investigation BRIK (Research and Development in Railway Infrastructure, in polish: Badania i Rozwój w Infrastrukturze Kolejowej). This paper presents a comparative analysis of the problem of the reproduction of the trajectory of the measuring system using tacheometry, satellite measurements made using a measurement trolley, and mobile satellite measurements. Algorithms enabling the assessment of the compliance of satellite measurements with classic tacheometric measurements were presented. To this end, the authors held measurement sessions using modern geodetic instruments and satellite navigation on a section of the railway line. The results of the measurements indicate the convergence of the level of accuracy achieved by different measuring techniques.

The article discusses an important issue in connection with the technique of mobile Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements of railway track coordinates, which is digital filtering performed to precisely determine railway track axes. For this purpose, a measuring technique is proposed which bases on the use of a measuring platform with a number of appropriately distributed GNSS receivers, where two of them determine the directional base vector of the platform. The receivers used in the research had high measuring frequency in the Real Time Kinematic (RTK) operating mode and enabled correction of the obtained results in post–processing. A key problem discussed in the article is the method for assessing the quality of the measurement results obtained from GNSS receivers, and their preparation for further processing making use of geometrically constrained parameters of the base vector and specialized digital filtering, among other elements, to precisely determining the track axis. The obtained results confirm the applicability of the used method of GNSS signal processing.

The article discusses an important issue of railway line construction and maintenance, which fundamentally is the verification of geometric parameters of the railway track. For this purpose, mobile measurements have been performed using a measuring platform with two properly arranged GNSS receivers, which made it possible to determine the base vector of the platform. The measuring functionality of the system was extended by IMU. In this article, the effect of measuring conditions on the accuracy of the results collected from GNSS receivers is analyzed. In particular, the advisability of digital filtering of the recorded coordinates to eliminate disturbances is indicated. The article also presents the possible use of GNSS devices and the IMU unit for determining the direction angle and the longitudinal and lateral inclination angles of the railway track. This makes it possible to verify the track geometry in the horizontal plane by determining the positions of straight sections, circular arcs, and transition curves. It is indicated that the results of measurements are repeatable despite the dynamic interaction between the railway track and the measuring platform. The results confirm the usefulness of the applied GNSS and IMU signal processing method for monitoring the geometrical parameters of the railway track in operating conditions.

Satellite geodetic networks are commonly used in surveying tasks, but they can also be used in mobile surveys. Mobile satellite surveys can be used for trackage inventory, diagnostics and design. The combination of modern technological solutions with the adaptation of research methods known in other fields of science offers an opportunity to acquire highly accurate solutions for railway track inventory. This article presents the effects of work carried out using a mobile surveying platform on which Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers were mounted. The satellite observations (surveys) obtained were aligned using one of the methods known from classical land surveying. The records obtained during the surveying campaign on a 246th km railway track section were subjected to alignment. This article provides a description of the surveying campaign necessary to obtain measurement data and a theoretical description of the method employed to align observation results as well as their visualisation.

The article presents the results of satellite railway track position measurements performed by a multidisciplinary research team, the members of which represented Gdansk University of Technology and Gdynia Maritime University. Measuring methods are described which were used for reconstructing the railway track axis position and diagnosing railway track geometry deformations. As well as that, the description of the novel method developed by the authors to perform mobile GNSS measurements is included. The reported research aimed at assessing the uncertainty of railway track axis reconstruction making use of the dynamic GNSS method. To assess the applicability of this method, the obtained results were compared with those from the stationary measurement method used in railway business. The data used for comparison was recorded on the same railway track section during several measurement campaigns. In these campaigns, different types of GNSSs with different position recording frequencies (1–100 Hz) were used at different measurement speeds (5–70 km/h). The performed analysis has shown that the accuracy of railway track axis reconstruction making use of mobile GNSS measurements is sufficient for using this methodology in railway business.