Technology news – Page 112
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NewsProducts & Technology in Brief
DB Netz has installed novel noise barriers on the Möhrenbrücke bridge near Treuchtlingen. Totalling 680 m in length, the aluminium barriers provide not only a sound baffle adjacent to the tracks but extend to a depth 2 m below rail level to mitigate the spread of noise off the bridge. ...
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NewsHead-hardened rail developed for Siberian temperatures
RUSSIA: Steelmaker Evraz ZSMK has completed federal certification of its HH350 rail, which it says is the first head-hardened rail designed for use at temperatures down to –60°C in Russia’s north and far east. HH350 will be available in lengths from 8 m to 100 m, and is expected ...
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NewsFinland to drop GSM-R in favour of domestic radio system
FINLAND: The Cabinet Committee for Economic Policy has backed plans for the Finnish rail industry to stop using the current GSM-R network and switch over to VIRVE, a TETRA encrypted communications system launched in 2002 and used by the government, emergency services and military. According to the Ministry of ...
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NewsOnboard adhesion monitoring
UK: TRL and Balfour Beatty are co-operating on a trial to use instrumented wheelsets to monitor acceleration data from a Class 159 diesel multiple-unit used by South West Trains. The project partners are assessing how best to interpret the acceleration data to assess any correlation with poor railhead adhesion. TRL ...
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NewsSilverRail acquires SJ ticketing technology company Linkon
SWEDEN: US-based passenger rail search and booking technology company SilverRail Technologies has acquired a 75% stake in Swedish national operator SJ’s ticketing IT business Linkon. Linkon provides ticketing IT systems including mobile and e-ticketing, inventory management and settlement. SilverRail is to retain Linkon’s full team and offices in Stockholm and ...
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NewsBattery train enters passenger service
UK: The prototype Independently Powered Electric Multiple-Unit has entered trial passenger service on the Manningtree –Harwich branch, where it is scheduled to operate on weekdays between January 12 and February 13. The IPEMU comprises a Bombardier Electrostar Class 379 four-car 25 kV 50 Hz EMU which has been retrofitted with ...
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NewsBanknote processor reinvented
SWITZERLAND: Swiss engineering company CI Tech has unveiled its next-generation banknote processing unit. Developed over the past three years, the CI Note Line is intended to replace the supplier’s BIM and Lobby 90 designs, with a specific focus on ticket vending machines in the transport market, as well as retail ...
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NewsFlywheel delivered for DMU energy storage tests
UK: Ricardo has delivered an evaluation prototype of its latest generation of TorqStor carbon fibre flywheel to Artemis Intelligent Power, which is leading a project to develop energy recovery technology which could enable diesel-hydraulic multiple-units to reduce their energy consumption in a way analogous to the use of regenerative braking ...
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NewsBorcad supplying Genio seats
CZECH REPUBLIC: Unveiled earlier this year, Borcad’s Genio seat is intended for both regional and inter-city applications. Derived from the manufacturer’s previous Regio+ model, Genio is being fitted to the Siemens Desiro Cityjet EMUs for ÖBB and the Škoda-built NIM Express trainsets for DB Regio, which use both the first ...
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NewsToilet upgrading contract
UK: TRB Lightweight Structures has been awarded a contract to supply PRM-TSI compliant Universal Access Toilet Modules for the refurbishment and upgrading of the sleeping cars used on First Great Western’s London – Penzance Night Riviera. Combining innovative design with lightweight composite engineering, TRB’s customisable toilet module has been designed ...
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NewsSeat innovation on test
UK: The H series seating for Hitachi Rail Europe's AT200 regional EMU family has been developed by the Quantum Seating joint venture of Automotive Trim Developments and GRM Consulting. The seats have been derived from Quantum's M100 design, which harnesses automotive technology including lightweight aluminium construction to keep the weight ...
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NewsAlstom increases stake in Kazakh joint venture
KAZAKHSTAN: Alstom has acquired a further 25% stake in the EKZ locomotive production joint venture from national railway KTZ. The restructuring now leaves Alstom as the lead shareholder in EKZ, which is based in Astana where it also has a loco production factory. KTZ and Russian supplier Transmash Holding ...
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NewsTrimble acquires condition monitoring specialist Nexala
USA: California-based engineering software supplier Trimble announced on December 1 that it had acquired vehicle diagnostics specialist Nexala, which will become part of Trimble’s Engineering & Construction segment. Trimble supplies GPS, optical, imaging and scanning technologies for the construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure, including building information modelling software ...
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NewsSaudi Railways Organization to use digital acoustic sensing for lineside security
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railways Organization has awarded QinetiQ subsidiary OptaSense and its local partner Abdulla Fouad Holding Co a US$12m five-year contract to install and maintain a 1 000 km optic fibre intrusion detection system on its Riyadh – Dammam routes, in what the national railway says is the first ...
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NewsHitachi bids to buy Finmeccanica rail businesses
ITALY: Defence and aviation group Finmeccanica announced on November 18 that Hitachi Ltd had submitted the previous day an offer to buy its AnsaldoBreda rolling stock business and its 40% stake in signalling supplier Ansaldo STS. A statement by the Italian group added that it intended to analyse Hitachi’s offer ...
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NewsBuilding a train from a foam sandwich
FRAUNHOFER: The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools & Forming Technology has produced a demonstration high speed train cab assembled from aluminium foam components, to highlight the potential applications of the strong but lightweight material. The aluminium foam material comprises a metal sandwich, with top and bottom external layers separated by ...
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NewsStockholm deploys interlocking software
SWEDEN: Stockholm transport authority SL has licensed iLock software from local company Prover Technology to use when creating its interlocking requirements. Running on a standard PC with a drag-and-drop editor or by using imported files, iLock draws on a formal specification library defining the general principles for Swedish interlocking ...
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NewsProducts & Technology in Brief
SNCF trialled Google Glass to verify the validity of passengers boarding iDTGV services at Lyon Part-Dieu on October 23. Platform staff received green or red indications on their glasses after scanning the barcode of each ticket. Savimex and Alstom have been testing a driver’s head-up display on trams ...
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NewsSelf-propelled wagon prototype
CROATIA: A self-propelled wagon fitted with a 55 kW diesel generator and hydraulic transmission giving it the ability to move around worksites at up to 100 km/h under remote control has been developed by RZV Čakovec and partners. The prototype has two ballast hoppers which can be hydraulically tipped in ...
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NewsVidiwave wins Colas Rail on-track plant CCTV contract
UK: Following a nine-month development programme and 12 months of rigorous field trials, Vidiwave has been awarded a contract to supply specialised CCTV systems for Colas Rail’s entire UK track maintenance fleet. The mobile CCTV equipment manufacturer has been working with Colas Rail since 2011 to develop an inspection ...