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