ACRI: Railway industry, a pillar of the Czech economy (2. strana)

rail transport l association The current successful development of railway transport comes as a result of the 200-year old tradition of the Czech railway industry. This long tradition is successfully followed by the current representatives of the Czech railway industry, who do not rely only on tradition, but also invest significantly in the development of new products, the purchase of advanced technologies, and the renovation of production facilities. Technological innovation is a fundamental prerequisite to becoming competitive in this dynamically developing industry. The companies associated in ACRI have a significant share in supplies for the Czech railway system, with an ever-increasing share of exports. The turnover of companies in the Czech railway industry amounts to CZK 78 billion, of which exports account for 56 %, and the total number of employees is 20,000. Supplies from Třinecké železárny to a number of European countries are successful; BONATRANS, a manufacturer of wheelsets, has opened a plant in India and wheels from its plants are used almost all over the world; Czech trams are operated reliably in Turkey, Germany, Slovakia, Finland, and Hungary; Czech companies participate in railway operation safety systems in Bulgaria, Serbia, Belarus, Slovakia, and other countries. As far as the Czech railways are concerned, they are virtually a stable partner for the national carriers, ČESKÉ DRÁHY and ČD CARGO. SIGNIFICANT INNOVATION PROJECTS ŠKODA TRANSPORTATION d Catenary-free trams for the Turkish city of Konya can currently travel at least 3 kilometres without using the pantograph in normal city traffic at speeds of up to 30 km/h. This type of power supply is generally used when a tram is intended to travel to areas where no trolley wire is installed, so no high infrastructure investment is required or, as in the case of Konya, in historic parts of the city where an overhead line would disturb the local atmosphere. GHH-BONATRANS d Every year, this company launches about a hundred new products (wheelsets or their parts). BONASTAR wheels feature improved steel quality on wheels for wheelsets with brake discs. This brings operators an up to 30% increase in mileage and, therefore, significant savings in life cycle costs. Another example of product innovation is the induction hardened axle. A several-year project of researchers brought about a revolutionary technological innovation in the field of axle heat treatment resulting in a multiple times higher fatigue strength. AŽD Praha d The leading European supplier of safety and communication systems for railways is one of the leaders in the field. On the testing of polygons, AŽD PRAHA is preparing testing of a system designed for regional driverless trains. On its ČížkoviceObrnice line, known as the Švestková dráha (Plum Railway), AŽD Praha is preparing a transition to maintenance-free operation. This will be the first railway line in the country which will not need the use of trackwalkers who regularly check the technical condition of the track, except for regular preventive maintenance interventions. An Innovative Global Diagnostic System that will continuously monitor and evaluate important track parameters and all the equipment installed on it. AMiT d Last year, the company started supplying railway panel computers to ABB India to be installed in the driver's cab on WAG-9 series locomotives. These panel computers feature excellent water resistant properties. Glacier Express d From March 2019, the company put new cars into operation on the railway line between Zermatt and St. Moritz. For the first time, passengers rode in the luxury COMFORT seats, which BORCAD supplied to the highest class, Excellence. IGW d IGW gearboxes are successfully used by the world's leading manufacturers of rolling stock around the world. OLTIS Group d Offers comprehensive and very flexible information systems with many components for use in transport, forwarding, and logistics. p Marie Alžběta Vopálenská, ACRI CEO Pobřežní 224/20, 186 00 Praha 8 www.acri.cz www.technikaatrh.cz 3