If you are staying static within the world of rail technologies then, frankly, you’re going to miss the train and get left way behind. Technological advances wait for no one, plus the business is getting shaped by new innovations as you study this. Get more facts about Railway Technology
Eurasia Rail is right here to show you five railway technologies that happen to be assisting alter the way we operate, manufacturer and travel on trains. Let’s take a look.
5 exciting railway technologies to watch
Hydrogen trains
Even though diesel engines are going the way from the dinosaur, and electric the global normal, some companies and rail operators are exploring extra exotic fuel options.
Hydrocarbons much less desirable inside a world where global warming is rather actually heating up, so what about hydrogen? Fuel cells in vehicles are one option in the automation world, and could quickly see wide-scale adoption in rail. Alstom is seeking to alter the game with its Coradia iLint hydrogen-powered multiple-units.
In September 2018, two units started operating the world’s 1st hydrogen-fuelled revenue service in Germany. Eisenbahen is operating the pair of trains around the 100km Elbe-Wesser network, connecting the towns of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude.
Every single unit consists of a roof-mounted hydrogen tank, offering a range of 1,000km - adequate for a full day’s operation. Currently, mobile fuelling is getting deployed to maintain the trains running, but a permanent facility is getting constructed at Bremervörde, and will be totally completed by 2021. That is a powerful endorsement for the future of hydrogen rail.
So why hydrogen? The exact same logic that has been applied to automobiles and automobiles applies right here: fewer emissions, greater fuel efficiency. Hydrogen would be the most abundant element in the universe, and its by-product isn’t greenhouse gas - it is just pure water. From that water, further hydrogen is often extracted to make extra fuel.
Away from Germany, further nations are searching into hydrogen. The UK will probably be trialling a hydrogen-fuelled unit in 2019, whilst there is certainly important interest from freight operators in North America.
Facial recognition software at train stations
The days of paper train tickets are coming to an end. Contactless payment at turnstiles is in operation across the world, but a new revolution is coming: facial recognition.
China is pioneering this technology. At Wuhan train station within the Central HuBei Province, passengers can spend with “face swapping”. They basically stroll up, and if their face is scanned properly, barriers are opened for boarding. More than 30 machines happen to be installed at Wuhan considering the fact that 2017, leaving just 10 manned ticketing stations.
There is one important caveat towards the Chinese experience. The software draws data in the state ID database. Not all countries have such a system, so the technologies will have to be adapted to local market place needs and practices to really take off globally.
Nonetheless, the system does allow for seamless passenger flow from station concourses to platforms. Comfort is king in the modern world, and the good results of tap-in-tap-out systems inside the UK and Singapore, alongside the improved passenger atmosphere at Wuhan, only reinforces that.
Facial recognition has other applications as well. Take security. If we head back to Germany, at Suedkreuz station, Berlin, automatic face capturing CCTV systems have been installed. Immediately after a 6-month trial run, featuring 200 volunteers, authorities noted a high-success rate, which will now let them track challenge people and help security forces do their jobs. Russian have also installed similar systems in terminals in Moscow, St. Petersburg, along with other important cities inside the run up the 2018 World Cup.
Artificial Intelligence
Machines are receiving smarter, and with their enhanced intelligence comes improved upkeep and efficiency for rail operators.
Situation based maintenance (CBM) and predictive upkeep (PM) are two big positive aspects when using smart, adaptive digital systems. For instance, diagnostic software can predict when wheels, axles, and elements will want replacing. The same idea applies to non-rolling stock infrastructure, like signalling, or sensible problems like route planning and scheduling.
Japan’s Fujitsu has teamed up with SRI International and Jourdan Co. to develop a prediction engine aimed at cutting down delays. Their system performs by analysing previous delay information, following this up with real-time updates to operator Jourdan to prevent future delays.
Elsewhere, remote monitoring of signalling systems is coming to India. Depending on systems currently in use within the UK, Indian Railways plans to install sensors along key routes to sustain signal health and machinery status, and alert authorities before problems occur. In 2016, India suffered 106 accidents, 60% of which were derailments, from signalling errors so it hopes to prevent such problems in the future.
Elsewhere, in Hong Kong, the MTR Corporation of uses an automated AI system to schedule quarterly and weekly engineering operates. This enables for the most efficient use of sources, also guaranteeing all safety and maintenance regulations are followed for the letter. MTR reports 50% cost and time saving using such a system.
With digital aid, railways about the world are seeing their operational efficiency bloom.
Automated trains
From urban metro to full on freight trains, self-driving units are enjoying a international rise in popularity.
You will find varying degrees of automation at present employed, while this mainly applies to metro trains. The grading systems are:
• Grade 4 - Fully automated, capable of running without having a physical staff member, featuring smart obstacle detection, emergency systems, and door closing. No human is necessary for train operation.
• Grade 3 - Trains run automatically in between stations, a employees member is on every single train in case of emergencies. Grade 3 trains can't operate with no a human presence.
• Grade 2 - A driver is inside the cab, responsible for key operations, like door opening, obstacle detection and emergency system handling.
More than 20 nations across the globe run grade 4 urban rail and metro operations. Singapore has the world’s oldest, which entered operation in 2003.
Nevertheless, such technology is getting implemented in remote places to assist ferry freight from mining and mineral extraction sites. Rio Tinto, one from the world’s largest miners, launched the biggest, longest robotic train inside the Australian outback in July 2018.
Automated rolling stock lets the miner carry over 28,000 tons per load along 170-mile stretch to processing plants from more than 1,000 miles away at a control centre in Perth, Western Australia. For context, salaries were as high as $230,000 Australian dollars, giving insight into why Rio Tinto is building self-driving freight trains.
Apart from the obvious price savings, although Rio Tinto spent an estimated $390m on its robot train, remote monitoring and automation suggests big health and safety benefits. Australia’s desert includes a harsh climate, so drivers are at danger of thirst or mental strain from the enormous, barren distances. Remove the driver, you take away those challenges.
Rail passenger-focussed apps
Comfort and convenience in the railway world is obtaining a large enhance by a wide selection of passenger-centric mobile apps. Enabling users to check occasions, obtain tickets, and also provide in-transit entertainment, anything is getting made much easier from the comfort of the smartphone.
In the UK, Transreport allows customers to report concerns affecting their journey for the relevant authorities, like difficulties like broken toilets, poor carriage environment, graffiti or litter. It also includes a passenger assistance function for disabled people to request any aid they may well have to have.
But how about dining? Travelkhana, an Indian app covering 300 cities and 6,000 train services, is generating a mid-journey dining revolution. Passengers simply enter their train number and pick a dish from a huge selection of Travelkhana’s restaurant partners. The app tracks trains, right after the user places their order and confirms their carriage before food is delivered directly for the passenger’s seat.
