05-07_kaleidoskop_5_cz.qxd
6.9.2023
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rail transport
low-emission Rolls-Royce engines that meet Stage V emission limits
is also worth noting," says Michal Krapinec, Chairman of the Board and CEO of ČD
The unit will also offer sufficient space to transport eight bicycles, three prams and two wheelchairs. The RegioFoxes will provide maximum safety thanks to the European ETCS signalling system as well as faster travelling at a maximum speed of 120 km/h.
"We are fulfilling our contractual obligations and together with
the regions we are upgrading regional transport. The RegioFox
units are living proof of the achievement. The carriages are lowfloor, which facilitate travel for the elderly, families with small
children and people with disabilities. Passengers will appreciate
the ergonomically shaped seats, air conditioning and modern information system. Convenience, Wi-Fi connectivity, and USB-port
outlets for charging allow you to use your time on the road to work,
study, relax, or even watch movies. The trains are also equipped
with a passenger counting system, which will provide us and the
transport clients with a better overview of the capacity utilization
of individual connections," says Jiří Ješeta, member of the Board
of Directors and Deputy Director General for Passenger Transport.
Trial operation of the new units will begin in the second half of
this year in Prague, Central Bohemia and South Bohemia. Further
RegioFoxes will then head to the Pardubice, Hradec Králové, Plzeň and Vysočina regions. They will replace the older 814, 842
and 843 series vehicles, and/or the sets with the 754 locomotive
and Bdt carriages. The supplier is a bit delayed, but the first unit
has already been delivered to the railway rolling stock testing facility near Velim. Testing is underway and will hopefully be completed with Rail Authority approval.
www.mdcr.cz
The Czechs have developed a "smart rail".
It can detect a damaged train and is being tested today in Taiwan.
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A set of elements made of special materials and electronics can
turn an ordinary track into a "smart" one in a matter of minutes.
The joint project of the Czech companies ALIS Tech, Drážní revize and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Brno University of Technology was originally intended to help
with the maintenance of risk points on the rail line or to serve as
an early warning system. In addition to diagnosing the condition
of the track, the team is now focusing on developing solutions to
help detect damage to passing trains and reduce the cost of repairing them or preventing an accident.
In the spring of 2021, experts presented smart sensors for the
railway that can help with maintenance of risk areas on the line or
serve as an early warning system, for example, in the event of
a landslide on the track. "Two years of testing has confirmed that
the technology will work reliably. We have deployed the system
in trial operation on a private line of a large industrial company in
the Czech Republic and on a regional line in Taiwan," said Zdeněk Hadaš from the Institute of Body Mechanics, Mechatronics
and Biomechanics of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of the
Brno University of Technology.
Thanks to the long-term testing, the researchers have already
acquired an extensive dataset of recorded train passages. Artificial intelligence searches for track parameters, which algorithms
now use to monitor the track condition and compare data to allow time to intervene, for example in the event of a change in the
bedrock condition, impending failure or heavy wear and tear.
"What we see here is "predictive" maintenance, which is what we
originally designed the system for. With the help of special sensors,
we can turn an ordinary rail into a smart one," says Pavel Stachiv.
"Through other electronics, we send data via the Internet of
Things to cloud storage, which is then processed. We have tested
the system and it works without problems, in winter and summer.
Sending data from Taiwan is also functional; we have data from
the track there in the cloud in a fraction of a second," adds Michal
Růžička from ALIS Tech.
During development, the Czech team came across another possibility to use the system for monitoring the passing rolling stock.
As the sensors are very sensitive, they can easily detect even if
one of the trains deviates from the normal technical standard. The
current goal is to create a solution that automates diagnostics.
The use of such diagnostics is of importance not only for trains,
but also for trams in cities, because damaged rolling stock destroys the track and vice versa – damaged track in turn destroys
the rolling stock.
The sensors may have many other applications and the research
team believes that there will be great interest in this globally unique system. Further development and testing of the algorithm will
take another two to three years. They are currently looking for
new partners interested in being involved in the development of
the sensor system. For example, the project was presented as part
of the March mission led by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies to Taiwan, because the deployment of high-tech solutions
into practice is at a much higher level in Taiwan than in Europe.
The team is currently applying for a research project at the Czech
Technology Agency to help them with the development.
www.fme.vutbr.cz
www.technikaatrh.cz
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