Rail automation news – Page 4
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Metro Report InternationalWuhan goes driverless as three more metro lines open
CHINA: Wuhan’s third driverless metro line was one of three expansion projects totalling 73 route-km to be inaugurated in the Hubei provincial capital on December 26, taking the city’s operational network to 435 km and 282 stations.
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Metro Report InternationalNanning opens driverless Line 5
CHINA: Nanning’s fifth metro line was opened for revenue service on December 16. Designed for unattended train operation to Grade of Automation 4, the 20·2 km line looping around the western side of the city centre links Jinqiao Coach Station in the northeast to Guokai Dadao ...
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Metro Report InternationalGlasgow Subway train testing gets underway
UK: Preliminary testing of the new Stadler trains for the Glasgow Subway has begun, in what Strathclyde Partnership for Transport said marks a ‘major milestone’ for the modernisation of the 10·5 km circular underground line. In March 2016 SPT awarded a consortium of Stadler and Ansaldo ...
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NewsATACS to support ATO on Tokyo suburban routes
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has confirmed plans to install its ATACS radio-based train control on Tokyo suburban lines over the next decade, in order to support an expansion of driver-only and automatic train operation.
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Metro Report InternationalDelhi Metro’s Pink Line goes automatic
INDIA: Automated operation of Delhi Metro’s 59 km Pink Line between Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar was launched on November 25. A train operator will initially be retained onboard ‘to instil a sense of confidence and assistance’, Delhi Metro Rail Corp said. Delhi’s first driverless line ...
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NewsJR East demonstrates automatic operation of high speed train
JAPAN: East Japan Railway demonstrated autonomous operation of a Series E7 high speed trainset to invited guests on November 17. Although a driver was present, his instructions were to keep his hands off the controls unless anything unexpected happened.
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NewsPrototype autonomous battery-powered wagon aims to help rail compete with trucks
USA: Technology company Intramotev is developing a prototype self-powered autonomous wagon, which it hopes can make rail freight more competitive over distances of up to 1 500 km.
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Metro Report InternationalMetro turnback time cut during testing
CHINA: The average time taken to turn back trains on Shanghai’s automated metro Line 5 has been cut by 26 sec to 86 sec during testing, paving the way for the operation of more frequent services. The line is equipped for attended driverless operation to Grade ...
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In depthComment: Automated reality
Automation of main line trains is slowly becoming a commercial reality, having been long established in the urban rail sector. However, mass adoption of driverless technology on mixed traffic railways still seems a long way off, with interim technology such as C-DAS offering many benefits in the meantime.
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NewsDB Cargo awards automated shunting loco contract
GERMANY: Driverless shunting locomotives are expected to be operating in commercial service at DB Cargo’s München-Nord marshalling yard by the end of 2024, following the award of contracts for the development of onboard systems for both train positioning and ATO. DB Cargo has appointed Augsburg-based Railergy ...
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless train demonstrated on the Hamburg S-Bahn
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn and Siemens Mobility unveiled the first S-Bahn train in Hamburg equipped for automatic train operation at the city’s Dammtor station on October 11.
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Metro Report InternationalPlatform edge gates ordered for Marseille metro automation programme
FRANCE: A €60m contract for the supply of platform edge gates as part of the conversion of Marseille’s two-line rubber-tyred metro to driverless operation has been awarded to Wabtec subsidiary Faiveley Transport, Eiffage Génie Civil Méditerranée and Eiffage Energie Systems Mediterranee. The 62 platforms at the ...
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NewsFive-train platoons to operate with virtual coupling
RUSSIA: Russian Railways is planning to use platooning technology to operate flights of up to five freight trains next year using radio data exchange between locomotives to create a virtual coupling. The aims to reduce headways from 12 to 6 to 8 min, increasing capacity on ...
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Rail Business UKLondon Underground driverless train study seeks platform edge door alternatives
UK: As part of a study into the feasibility of introducing driverless trains on the London Underground, Transport for London is seeking information about technologies that could mitigate platform-train interface risks in the absence of platform edge doors. TfL’s participation in a Department for Transport-led study ...
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NewsAlstom awarded second Stuttgart ATO contract
GERMANY: The Land of Baden-Württemberg’s rolling stock management body SFBW has awarded Alstom a contract to retrofit 118 regional trainsèts with ETCS and automatic train operation equipment for operation in the Stuttgart area.
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NewsRegional train automation contract awarded
LUXEMBOURG: National railway CFL has awarded Alstom a contract to equip 34 Coradia Stream EMUs for automatic train operation, in what the supplier says will be the first project in Europe to fit a regional train fleet for Grade of Automation 2 using ATO over ETCS. ...
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NewsStuttgart S-Bahn automatic train operation and ETCS contract awarded
GERMANY: DB Regio has awarded Alstom a €130m contract to supply ETCS and automatic train operation technology as part of a project to upgrade the Stuttgart S-Bahn network under the Stuttgart 21 programme ETCS onboard equipment suitable for Level 2 or Level 3 operation will be ...
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless train study required under latest Transport for London support deal
UK: The Department for Transport has agreed a further funding package for Transport for London, with government conditions including studies for the possible conversion of two Underground lines to driverless operation. The deal reached on June 1 covers the period from May 29 to December 11. ...
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Metro Report InternationalShenzhen driverless metro train unveiled
CHINA: CRRC Changchun has rolled out the first of the nine Type A trainsets for GoA4 unattended automatic operation on the future Shenzhen metro Line 20. Six of the eight aluminium-bodied cars in each trainset are powered, giving a maximum speed of ...
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NewsAutonomous train begins GoA2 testing
FRANCE: Test running with an automated train in attended ATO mode is underway in northern France as the latest phase of a pan-industry programme to develop autonomous trains for regional passenger services.