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Executive Summary: Which are the Top 8 Rail Predictive Maintenance Companies to Watch?

  1. IntelliRail Tech (India): Provides infrared-sensor-based hot-wheel and hot-box detection for real-time predictive maintenance and derailment prevention.
  2. SahayAI (USA): Offers an AI-powered predictive maintenance platform combining robotics and sensor analytics to detect rail infrastructure faults and forecast failures.
  3. Therness (Italy): Delivers AI-enabled thermographic weld monitoring for real-time defect detection and traceable weld quality assurance.
  4. Moonbility (UK): Builds digital-twin platforms that simulate railway infrastructure performance to support predictive maintenance and network-wide resource optimization.
  5. irmos technologies (Switzerland): Provides real-time critical-asset monitoring using sensor-driven analytics to estimate the remaining service life of bridges, tunnels, and transport infrastructure.
  6. Sharkey Predictim (France): Uses AI-based image processing to detect railway track defects and automate maintenance scheduling.
  7. AXO (Germany): Develops internet of things (IoT)-based real-time monitoring systems for switches and tracks.
  8. RAILwAI (France): Offers a machine-learning platform that forecasts maintenance needs by integrating sensor, inspection, and environmental data.

Global Startup Heat Map highlights Emerging Rail Predictive Maintenance Companies to Watch

Through the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 9M+ startups, 20K+ technology trends, plus 150M+ patents, news articles & market reports, we identified the top rail predictive maintenance startups.

The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights emerging rail predictive maintenance startups you should watch in 2026, as well as the geo-distribution of 390+ startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research.

According to our data, we observe high startup activity in India and the USA, followed by the UK. The top 5 Startup Hubs for rail predictive maintenance are London, Bangalore, Chennai, San Francisco, and Mumbai.

 

 

Explore Emerging Rail Predictive Maintenance Companies to Watch in 2026

We hand-picked startups to showcase in this report by filtering for their technology, founding year, location, funding, and other metrics. These emerging rail predictive maintenance startups work on solutions ranging from inspection AI and thermographic weld monitoring to digital twin and condition-based maintenance.

1. IntelliRail Tech – Hot Wheels Detection

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: India

Indian startup IntelliRail Tech delivers predictive maintenance solutions for railways through its IntelliHBD system, which employs high-speed infrared sensors to monitor the temperature of axle boxes and wheels on moving trains. This system detects anomalies such as hot boxes and hot wheels by capturing thermal data as trains pass, enabling early identification of potential failures.

The technology’s advanced diagnostics reduce the need for manual inspections, streamlining maintenance processes and enhancing operational efficiency. By providing real-time alerts and precise measurements, IntelliRail’s solution supports proactive maintenance strategies, aiming to prevent derailments.

2. SahayAI – AI-Powered Railway Inspection

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: USA

US-based startup SahayAI develops an AI-powered platform for predictive maintenance in railway systems. It integrates autonomous robotics, real-time sensor data, and machine learning algorithms to monitor rail infrastructure and rolling stock conditions continuously.

By analyzing data from onboard sensors and trackside equipment, the system detects anomalies and forecasts potential failures, enabling maintenance teams to address issues before they escalate.

This approach reduces unplanned downtime, enhances operational efficiency, and extends asset lifespan. Ultimately, SahayAI’s solution improves railway safety and reliability by transitioning from reactive to proactive maintenance strategies.

3. Therness – Thermographic Weld Monitoring

  • Founding Year: 2025
  • Location: Italy

Italian startup Therness provides an AI-powered thermographic weld monitoring system that performs real-time inspection for predictive maintenance in railway applications. It uses thermal sensors and trained AI models to detect anomalies such as porosity or lack of fusion while generating time-stamped, audit-ready evidence.

 

 

The system automatically flags defects, synchronises quality across production cells, and initiates corrective workflows. Through this approach, Therness enables inline, scalable weld quality assurance and traceability, helping operators reduce rework, maintain compliance, and sustain continuous production.

4. Moonbility – Rail Digital Twin

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: UK

UK-based startup Moonbility develops a digital twin platform that models railway infrastructure to enhance predictive maintenance. It integrates real-time operational data with historical incident records to simulate the effects of asset failures, enabling operators to forecast disruption patterns, resource demands, and passenger impacts.

The platform employs scenario-based visualizations such as 3D models and heatmaps to assess variables like downtime, cost, and carbon emissions, supporting informed decision-making. By combining AI-driven analytics with digital replicas of transport systems, Moonbility allows proactive maintenance planning to minimize service interruptions and optimize resource allocation across the rail network.

 

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5. irmos technologies – Critical Asset Monitoring

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: Switzerland

Swiss startup irmos technologies develops a critical asset monitoring platform that uses smart sensors and data analytics to assess asset health in real time. Its system captures structural and traffic load data, translating them into clear condition metrics that help estimate remaining service life without halting operations.

By continuously estimating the remaining service life of bridges, tunnels, and other transport infrastructure, the technology enables maintenance decisions without interrupting operations.

6. Sharkey Predictim – Condition-based Maintenance

  • Founding Year: 2021
  • Location: France

French startup Sharkey Predictim delivers an AI-powered predictive maintenance system that detects and analyzes railway track defects using image processing and machine learning. It processes data from sensors and drones to identify cracks, wear, and misalignment.

The system automates defect detection and maintenance scheduling, improving reliability and reducing manual inspections. It learns continuously from past inspection data, enhancing prediction accuracy over time. The solution supports railway operators by increasing safety, minimizing downtime, and extending track component lifespan.

7. AXO – Real-Time Rail Monitoring Infrastructure

  • Founding Year: 2022
  • Location: Germany

German startup AXO develops real-time monitoring systems for railway infrastructure. It uses IoT sensors and embedded systems to capture vibration, temperature, and structural data across switches and tracks, then processes that data through analytics and machine-learning algorithms.

 

 

The system installs on existing infrastructure, integrates with rail operators’ IT systems, and delivers condition insights within seconds, while the system enables data-driven dispatch of maintenance crews, reduces unplanned downtime, and extends the service life of assets.

8. RAILwAI – Rail Equipment Failure Forecasting

  • Founding Year: 2021
  • Location: France

French startup RAILwAI delivers an AI-powered software platform for predictive maintenance in railway infrastructure. It aggregates data from sensors, inspection vehicles, weather systems, and maintenance records, and applies machine learning to forecast equipment failures and optimize maintenance schedules.

The platform features modular components tailored to specific operational areas such as track geometry, signaling, traffic, and environmental conditions, enabling infrastructure managers to centralize fragmented data and gain a comprehensive view of asset health.

Discover All Emerging Rail Startups

The rail startups showcased in this report are only a small sample of all startups we identified through our data-driven startup scouting approach. Download our free Rail Innovation Reportfor a broad overview of the industry or get in touch for quick & exhaustive research on the latest technologies & emerging solutions that will impact your company in 2026!