Area testing, or coordinated testing within traction substation areas, is used to test mitigation systems.
Coordinated Area Testing for Stray Current Mitigation
Area testing is a critical process for managing stray current interference in urban environments where multiple buried assets share corridors with electric rail and tram networks. These coordinated tests bring together all affected asset owners—gas, water, power, and telecommunications—alongside traction operators to verify that mitigation systems are protecting every structure from electrolysis damage.
Traditional area testing is extremely time-consuming. Technicians from each organisation must simultaneously take readings at dozens or hundreds of test points while traction loads are cycled through various operating conditions. Coordinating schedules, collecting paper-based readings, and compiling results into reports can stretch a single area test over several weeks.
DataCell and DataScape transform this process entirely.
With DataCell units installed at test points across all participating networks, readings are captured automatically and synchronised precisely. All stakeholders access the same real-time data through the DataScape portal, enabling collaborative analysis and faster adjustment cycles. What once took weeks can now be completed in days.
The benefits extend beyond time savings. Data integrity improves when human transcription is eliminated. Historical trends become available for long-term analysis. And most importantly, technician safety improves dramatically by reducing time spent working in rail corridors and traffic environments.
