Research, training & skills news – Page 5
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News
Minas Gerais to set up research centre
BRAZIL: The state of Minas Gerais has chosen Viçosa, about 145 km southeast of Belo Horizonte, to be the site for the headquarters of a railway research centre. The Railway Technological Development Nucleus will be located at university campuses in Viçosa, Santos Dumont and São João del Rei, the state announced in early February.
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In depth
Research: Extending the role of backup batteries
Projects in Chengdu and Moscow have confirmed that nickel battery technology, originally developed to provide onboard backup services on metro trains, can also provide a cost-effective source of power for emergency traction, eliminating the need to install separate battery packs.
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News
28 000 Saudi women apply for high speed train driving jobs
SAUDI ARABIA: More than 28 000 Saudi women have applied for the first 30 train driving jobs to be open to them. The drivers are being recruited by Spanish national operator RENFE, which has a 12-year contract to operate the Haramain High Speed Rail line between ...
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Metro Report International
Transurb launches mixed reality compact driving simulator
BELGIUM: Transurb has launched a compact Nano Simulator for tram driver training which uses mixed reality functionality to replicate the immersive training experience traditionally found in a full-cab simulator. The company has been developing portable simulators for light rail and tram customers for many years, but ...
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In depth
Research: Towards a low-carbon slab track
The inclusion of recycled plastic and other materials in precast and continuous in-situ concrete track slabs would help to reduce the environmental impact of track construction and could also deliver improved dynamic performance.
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In depth
Research: Shifting to Europe’s Rail
Established under the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme, the Europe’s Rail joint undertaking came into effect on November 30, taking over from the Shift2Rail JU which has co-ordinated rail research for the past five years.
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Metro Report International
Simulation identifies most effective measures to reduce Covid-19 risk on metro trains
UK: Metro train passengers are at a low risk of being exposed to the coronavirus, but mitigation measures can further lower the risk, according to simulations undertaken by the universities of Leeds and Manchester and the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory. The Transmission of Virus in ...
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In depth
Research: Putting R&D at the heart of recovery
The global rail community will gather in Birmingham in June for the 13th World Congress on Railway Research, providing a unique opportunity to discuss in person the role of rail R&D in a post-pandemic environment.
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Rail Business UK
ORR seeks more competition for train driver psychometric assessments
UK: The Office of Rail & Road is consulting on proposals to open up the provision of train driver psychometric assessments to greater competition. The Rail Assessment Centre Forum was established to ensure that the psychometric assessment process for the recruitment and monitoring of train drivers ...
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News
ADIF seeks better gauge-changing freight technology
SPAIN: In a bid to enhance the competitiveness of rail freight moving in and out of Spain, ADIF has called bids for the development of improved gauge-changing technology for freight wagons.
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News
R&D co-operation starts with locomotive component life cycles
RUSSIA: A five-year agreement covering strategic co-operation in research and development has been signed by TMH Perspective Technologies Centre and Emperor Alexander I St Petersburg State Transport University. The TMH subsidiary and the university aim to expanded the scope and increase the quantity of research, undertake ...
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Rail Business UK
Robot train cleaner to be tested
UK: A robot designed to clean hard-to-reach areas between and underneath train seats is being developed by the National Robotarium research centre, which has unveiled the design ahead of laboratory and real-world trials with a prototype in 2022. The National Robotarium is supported by Heriot-Watt University ...
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News
Europe’s Rail takes over railway research portfolio
EUROPE: The Europe’s Rail joint undertaking which is being established under the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme has formally assumed responsibility for railway research, succeeding the Shift2Rail joint undertaking which has led the sector for the past five years. The regulation establishing Europe’s Rail and nine ...
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News
Industry and academic collaboration to apply machine learning to railway condition monitoring
AUSTRIA: Frauscher Sensonic and the Institute for Machine Learning at Johannes Kepler University in Linz are to collaborate to apply the latest machine learning techniques to the use of optic fibres for railway infrastructure condition monitoring. Sensonic will fund two PhD positions, ...
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Metro Report International
Dhaka metro staff trained in Delhi
BANGLADESH: Operations and maintenance staff for the future Dhaka Metro are being trained at the Delhi Metro Rail Academy in the Indian capital, which is providing interactive classroom sessions, demonstrations, simulators, practical and on-job training. The training is being provided under an agreement between DMRC and ...
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News
CAF acquires test bed EMU for hydrogen conversion
SPAIN: CAF has acquired a three-car Class 463 Civia electric multiple-unit from RENFE for conversion to a hydrogen fuel-cell demonstrator under the FCH2Rail research project.
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Rail Business UK
Network Rail ‘concerned’ about future access to European research programme
UK: Speaking at the Railway Industry Association’s annual conference in London on November 5, Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines expressed concern that the difficult political relationship between the UK government and the European Union since Brexit poses a risk to future access to European railway research programmes.
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News
Women in rail agreement comes into force
EUROPE: A binding deal aimed at promoting the employment of more women in the rail sector came into force on November 5, when it was formally signed by the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies representing employers and the European Transport Workers’ Federation representing staff. ...
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News
Developing Poland’s next generation of railway engineers
A Class ED250 Pendolino waits to leave Kraków with a through EIP service to Warszawa, Gdansk and Gdynia. POLAND: Alstom and Politechnika Warszawska’s Faculty of Automotive & Construction Machinery Engineering have signed an agreement to co-operate in the education of future railway engineers. The project involves ...
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Metro Report International
Young people urged to consider careers in light rail
UK: An engineering ‘skills gap’ across many sectors including light rail means there are opportunities for young people to play a major role in meeting future transport and environmental challenges, says UKTram. The industry body is developing a light rail career ‘roadmap’, and planning a series ...