Technology news – Page 48
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NewsMagnetic wedges to boost motor efficiency
JAPAN: A low-cost enhancement to improve the efficiency of three-phase traction motors has been developed by Toshiba Corp.
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Metro Report InternationalMoscow Metro expands payment options
RUSSIA: Moscow Metro has worked with VTB bank, Google and Mastercard to enable passengers to use Google Pay on Android devices. Other payment systems are to be added. A smartphone with the screen turned on needs to be tapped on to the turnstile. ‘We see contactless payment ...
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NewsTaxirail lightweight vehicle demonstrator with AI to start trials in 2021
FRANCE: Trials with a self-propelled ultra-lightweight rail vehicle intended for rural railways or lightly-used lines are due to commence towards the end of 2021.
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NewsOptiFuel Systems announces natural gas freight locomotive
USA: Rail, marine and generator product supplier OptiFuel Systems has announced that it is ready to manufacture freight locomotives of 1 200 to 2 400 hp fuelled by biomethane and natural gas. The South Carolina company is using a proprietary EPA rail-certified KOFSG11.9400 engine based on the ...
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Metro Report InternationalCBTC gains Chinese certification
CHINA: The TSTCBTC 2.0 signalling system developed by the Thales SEC Transport joint venture has received China Urban Rail Certification from the National Development & Reform Commission and the National Certification & Accreditation Administration. ‘Thales is proud that our innovative TSTCBTC 2.0 signaling system was granted the ...
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Metro Report InternationalTyne & Wear Metro introduces smartphone ticketing
UK: Tyne & Wear Metro passengers can now use an Android smartphone to pay for travel and open ticket gates, in a partnership between transport authority Nexus, Google Pay, mobile ticketing provider Yotra Ltd, ticketing and gating supplier Scheidt & Bachmann and Newcastle-based software company Nebula Labs ...
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Metro Report InternationalWiener Linien orders Robel tunnel cleaning vehicle
AUSTRIA: Robel has won a tender to supply a metro tunnel and trackbed cleaning unit to the capital’s transport operator Wiener Linien. Delivery is scheduled for mid-2022. The Robel Cleaning System combines automated surface vacuuming with manual cleaning using 20 m long operator-controlled suction hoses which can ...
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Metro Report InternationalTours deploys interoperable smartphone ticketing platform
FRANCE: Conduent’s Seamless Transportation System contactless payment technology has been rolled out across 21 trams and 200 buses in Tours’ Fil Bleu transport network. Users download the Seamless Transportation System smartphone app and register to activate an account. They then present their smartphone at any onboard tag. ...
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NewsAutomated locomotive completes first trip
FRANCE: ‘A semi-autonomous train’ has run ‘under real operating conditions’ on the 16 km Longwy – Longuyon line in eastern France, national operator SNCF announced on December 16.
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Metro Report InternationalWabtec’s Metroflexx braking certified ahead of use on Grand Paris Express trains
BRAKING: Tüv Süd has provided safety, quality and performance standard certification for Metroflexx, Wabtec’s ‘next-generation’ braking system for metro trains. Designed to significantly reduce the weight, energy consumption and life-cycle cost of a train, Metroflexx communicates with the train computer and traction equipment to optimise use of ...
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NewsPassenger counting partnership
EUROPE: London-based data technology company BlockDox has announced a strategic partnership with Berlin-based 3D sensor supplier Iris, which will provide high-precision sensors for its passenger counting systems. BlockDox’s PassengerCount provides train and bus operators with key analytics including boarding and alighting times and crowd and disruption management. ...
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NewsTurnout condition monitoring for more efficient maintenance
SWEDEN: Trafikverket has awarded Vossloh and DB Systemtechnik a multi-year contract to provide condition monitoring for a total of 1 000 turnouts. Sensors will continuously record data on selected parameters, which will be automatically transmitted to a Vossloh-owned cloud-based platform for processing and conversion into recommendations for ...
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NewsSekisui to produce synthetic sleepers in Europe
NETHERLANDS: With more European infrastructure managers adopting synthetic wood for railway sleepers and bridge timbers, Japanese manufacturer Sekisui Chemical Co has announced plans to establish a local manufacturing facility in the Netherlands.
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Rail Business UKMore powerful rail-mounted tree chipper introduced
UK: QTS Group has unveiled its Mega Chipper V2 rail-mounted chipper, an automated 460 hp machine which can chip a 600 mm diameter tree in 10 sec. A successor to the railway contractor’s original Mega Chipper, the V2 is more powerful and efficient with a revised ...
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News5G aerial surveys monitor ADIF assets
SPAIN: A programme to use drones and 5G communications to survey rail infrastructure in Galicia has been launched by a partnership led by telecoms group Telefónica and including Huawei, ADIF and Ineco. The initiative was awarded a grant from the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Digital Transformation ...
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NewsOWLS provides accurate measurement of Dakar TER track
SENEGAL: Raysimaş, Uroven and Latronix have completed track geometry measurements for Dakar Train Express Régional construction contractor Yapı Merkezi using an OWLS measuring system fitted to a 1960s locomotive. Developed by Latronix in Sweden and distributed overseas by UK company Uroven, OWLS uses ...
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NewsMitsubishi Electric CBTC gets SIL4 certification
JAPAN: Testing, certification and auditing specialist TÜV Süd has issued SIL4 certification for the latest version of Mitsubishi Electric Corp’s communication-based train control system. Version 1.0 of the CBTC had been certified by TÜV Süd in 2014, and version 1.5 offers an improved design and additional ...
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Metro Report InternationalSmarter maintenance to support Chinese metro growth
CHINA: Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co has developed a condition-based maintenance planning platform for metro rolling stock which is to be expanded to cover all elements of urban rail networks. ZTEC said Foresee had been developed because of the difficulty of scaling-up traditional scheduled and fault-based maintenance ...
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Metro Report InternationalReducing brake dust to improve air quality
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP is testing Wabtec’s Green Friction braking materials, which are designed to help improve the air quality in tunnels by reducing the amount of microparticles emitted. Initial bench tests are simulating the operation of a MI09 transet operating on RER Line A, looking ...
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Rail Business UKMechan jacks and turntables installed in Exeter
UK: Mechan worked with main contractor Hochtief to design, supply and install a set of 12 lifting jacks and two turntables for a three-road maintenance facility which has been built to expand GWR’s Exeter Olds View depot near St David’s station. The 15 tonne rail mounted jacks ...