POLAND: Infrastructure manager PKP PLK has approved the use of Alstom’s ELS-96 rail-mounted wheel detector for axle counters.
The ELS-96 provides full digital transmission without lineside electronics with fully automatic adjustment as well as a remote diagnostics and software upgrade capability. It can withstand high and low temperatures, humidity and vibrations, and also works under water.
The ELS-96 was designed in Poland and is manufactured at Alstom’s Katowice plant. The certification procedure lasted more than two years including nine months of field tests.
‘Alstom’s wheel detectors have performed successfully in service on the tracks in the deserts of Algeria, as well as in frosty regions with temperatures below -50°C’, said Adam Juretko, Vice-President Alstom Poland. With the ELS-96, ’the volume of equipment that needs to be installed on the tracks reduces significantly. The weight and power consumption of the system is lower compared to the former version and it contributes to reduced deployment, operation and maintenance costs involved.’