Technology news – Page 116
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NewsOdakyu Electric Railway to test all-SiC power module
JAPAN: Odakyu Electric Railway has placed the first order for Mitsubishi Electric Corp’s all-silicon carbide traction inverter designed for 1 500V DC overhead supplies. The 3·3 kV, 1 500 A inverter will be installed in a Series 1000 four-car urban EMU in December. Along with four high-efficiency motors the new ...
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NewsDeploying artificial intelligence to spot fare dodgers
SPAIN: The use of a system 'based on artificial intelligence' to spot passengers attempting to avoid payment by following other users through ticket barriers is being tested by Catalan regional operator FGC and Barcelona-based Awaait Artificial Intelligence. Named Detector, the system uses a camera to watch the gate area, and ...
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NewsThameslink EMU undergoes low-temperature tests
UK: The first of the Class 700 Desiro City electric multiple-unit cars being built by Siemens for use on the Thameslink route through London have been tested at the Rail Tec Arsenal climate chamber at Wien in Austria. The tests focused on the ability to withstand the effects of temperatures ...
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NewsWork begins on €80m brake test centre
GERMANY: Knorr-Bremse held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 28 to officially launch construction of an €80m brake system test and development centre at its headquarters in München. The centre will bring together the testing and development activities of the company’s Rail Vehicle Systems and Commercial Vehicle Systems groups. It has ...
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NewsMP&ES announces natural gas locomotive
USA: Following two years of technology evaluation, Motive Power & Equipment Solutions has announced plans to launch the Greenville MP1500, a low-emissions genset locomotive which would be fuelled by a combination of natural gas and diesel. MP&ES is working with technology partner OptiFuel Systems to develop the 1 500 hp ...
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NewsHuawei and Siemens to co-operate on communications
HUAWEI: Chinese communications supplier Huawei announced on April 8 that it had reached agreement with Siemens Convergence Creators GmbH to co-operate in the development of ‘end–to-end solutions’ in the critical communications market, including rail. Huawei says that it will draw on its expertise in GSM-R for voice communications and train ...
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NewsSocial media could supplement passenger satisfaction surveys
UK: A research programme by DeltaRail is seeking to analyse train operators’ Twitter traffic to assess passenger satisfaction. It has been running for four months, and has already produced results which correlate with other satisfaction surveys DeltaRail analyses the content of tweets in the form of a ‘word cloud’. Generally, ...
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NewsOverhead inspection vehicles with ETCS
GERMANY: DB Netz is taking delivery of a further four Robel Bahnbaumaschinen 57.44 catenary maintenance vehicles, fitted with two independent work platforms. Eight vehicles of this type have been in service since 2010, but the latest batch is equipped with ETCS.
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NewsNSB commissions Corena electronic train parts catalogue
NORWAY: NSB has appointed software company Corena to implement an electronic train parts catalogue meeting the S1000D technical document specification from the aerospace and defence industries. This forms a foundation of the emerging Raildex specification for the rail industry. The catalogue will support NSB’s new Stadler Flirt EMUs with ...
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NewsSiC power module offers savings
INVERTER: Mitsubishi Electric Corp has launched a traction inverter system for 1·5 kV DC applications which it says incorporates the first all-silicon carbide power modules using SiC for both transistors and diodes. This reduces power loss, size and weight compared to conventional IGBT power modules or hybrid modules with silicon ...
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NewsWatching your wagons
UAE: New York Air Brake and Lat-Lon have provided monitoring technology for 240 sulphur wagons supplied to Etihad Rail. Eight wheelset sensors per wagon measure bearing temperature and the degree of tilt to warn of potential derailment. The upper hatch is monitored for open/closed status by two more devices, ...
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NewsScotRail to fit integrated driver advisory and energy metering system
UK: An integrated driver advisory and energy metering system developed by TTG Transportation Technology is to be fitted to 40 Alstom Class 334 electric multiple-units operated by First ScotRail. The Energymiser system is intended to enable the train operator to optimise both timekeeping and energy savings, and ensure accurate ...
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NewsMetrolink PTC goes into operation
USA: Southern California Regional Rail Authority became the first US commuter rail operator to begin using Positive Train Control in revenue service on February 17. Metrolink has started operating with PTC on selected trains using the BNSF tracks between Los Angeles and Riverside. On February 20, Metrolink demonstrated the technology ...
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NewsProducts & Technology in Brief
UK passenger operator Southern has introduced Recite cloud-based customisation on its website, enabling visually impaired or dyslexic passengers to use text to speech options, and change colour and contrast settings easily. Tenmat has developed reinforced phenolic composite wear parts including wagon bearing bushes and suspension damper plungers which ...
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News24 h power
POWER: Primus Wind Power offers small wind turbines for off-grid applications such as powering line-side equipment. Designed for winds speeds as low as 10 km/h, the turbines costing around US$1 000 can be combined with solar panels on new or existing trackside installations, generating solar power during the day and ...
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NewsEuropean railways unveil joint technical strategy
EUROPE: An outline of the technical requirements needed to support 'a successful railway of the future' was published on February 11 by the 'Railway Operating Community', which brings together those European train operators and infrastructure managers who are members of CER, EIM and UIC. Co-ordinated by UIC, the Rail Technical ...
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NewsProducts & Technology in Brief
ÖBB-Infrastruktur is to undertake a three-month trial of OptaSense’s Distributed Acoustic Sensing, which enables existing trackside optic fibre cables to act as ‘virtual microphones’ able to detect the activities of cable thieves. ABB has begun using BASF’s polybutylene terephthalate Ultradur B4450 G5 glass fibre reinforced thermoplastic for DC contactors ...
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NewsBattery EMU ready to start testing
JAPAN: East Japan Railway's Series EV-E301 prototype 1·5 kV DC/battery electric multiple-unit was delivered to the Karasuyama Line on January 22, ready for the start of test running. Branded 'Accum', the two-car unit is derived from the experimental 'Smart Denchi-kun' battery railcar which was tested on the same line in ...
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NewsNetwork Rail orders eight Robel Mobile Maintenance Systems
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail has confirmed an order worth around €50m for eight Robel self-propelled Mobile Maintenance System 69.70/4 trainsets. Developed from a concept devised by Austrian Federal Railways and also supplied to Norway, Germany and the Netherlands, the MMS is designed to provide a safe and well-lit environment ...
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NewsChannel Tunnel mobile phone coverage agreed
EUROPE: Eurostar and Le Shuttle passengers will be able to access mobile communications networks in both bores of the Channel Tunnel from March, after Eurotunnel signed a 10-year agreement with UK telecoms companies EE and Vodafone on January 9. Under the agreement EE and Vodafone customers will be able to ...