Railway maintenance is defined as the process of preserving a working condition of a railway equipment, along the track or related to rolling stocks, but there are actually different approach to mantain a railway asset or service..
With CBTC, moving blocks introduce to the concept of contiguous track, because the railway is represented as a single contiguous block, rather than a set of adjacent blocks. This means that the safe separation behind the preceding train is dynamically calculated based on the maximum operating speeds, braking curves and locations of the trains on the alignment. Also, in this way the capacity of the railway is extremely increased.
In railway signalling, capacity can be defined as the maximum number of trains that can pass a given location during a given time period at a specified level of reliability.
Strict safety requirements regulate the development of railway signalling and train control systems, covered by the CENELEC (European Committee for Electro-technical Standardization) EN 5012x rail standards
This paper will drive you across the different phases of the V-cycle for railway application, by explaining the key role of requirements during each phase and presenting the Systems Engineering activities required to support and control product development.
Track circuits contributes for train detection but also for the vehicle’s speed control, since the electrical signals used for train detection can be exchanged between wayside and on-board for the transmission of speed commands.
Since the train can be considered the transport mode of the future, national railway companies and European Union are currently working for a continuos upgrade of sustainable rail transportation, in order to guarantee the best quality of life to European citizens.
Railway signalling can be defined as all systems used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Over the years knoledgment and technology able to satisfy this issue have been implemented. ERTMS/ETCS is currently the most common signalling system adopted in Europe.
With CBTC, moving blocks introduce to the concept of contiguous track, because the railway is represented as a single contiguous block, rather than a set of adjacent blocks. This means that the safe separation behind the preceding train is dynamically calculated based on the maximum operating speeds, braking curves and locations of the trains on the alignment. Also, in this way the capacity of the railway is extremely increased.
Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system mostly used for metros and light railways. It makes use of the telecommunications between the train and track equipment for the traffic management and infrastructure control. London is going to host a series of highlight CBTC events in March 2015.
New Tube for London (NTfL) is a programme that would introduce new trains and signalling on several London Underground lines between 2025 and 2033. The trains may not have drivers, however the ASLEF and RMT trade unions that represent the drivers strongly oppose this, saying it would be unsafe.
Next week MetroRail 2014 will be hosted in London. During the event rail industry professionals from around the world expected to be part of discussion about latest projects, developments and challenges in metro signalling and train control.
The main European cities are seeking quick costructions for light metro system, easy urban insertion and improved life-cycle costs. Among the most important rail suppliers, Alstom has launched the Axonis light metro system to meet these specific transport needs in fast-growing and densely-populated cities.
Ansaldo Breda, the Italian Finmeccanica Company of the railway industry, following the country-trend, is in debt for 10 years. The company in the first half of the year has doubled its operating loss to € 68 million, while revenues fell by 26% to € 264 million.