The software aims to help operators reduce unplanned downtime, improve efficiency, planning and performance, and generate energy and cost savings.

Siemens will build its digital services hub in Atlanta, Georgia, and a new east coast locomotive service headquarters in New Castle, Delaware, later this year.

The city of Atlanta and Charlotte Area Transit System (Cats) will be among the first transport providers to put the data to use from their existing fleets to improve operations and safety.

Siemens will collect information captured by onboard systems used on the Siemens-built Atlanta streetcar and analyse data points to make best use of the fleet. Potential data points include:: slow vehicle movements to identify traffic bottlenecks in order to reduce delays, passenger comfort, and horn usage by cars or pedestrian traffic warnings to determine possible infrastructure improvements that could increase safety.

In Charlotte, Cats is working with Siemens on a pilot programme for near real-time diagnostics and analysis of light rail system data to assist with maintenance recommendations.

The digital services offered are based on Railigent, a cloud-based industrial data analytics platform which features smart monitoring for real-time insight on vehicle state and location.