Technika a trh

05-07_kaleidoskop_5_cz.qxd

6.9.2023

11:49

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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.