Author(s)

RASMUS RÜDIGER, UWE BECKER

Abstract

Experts anticipate a significant increase in the globally transported rail freight volumes for years to come. A promising solution approach to this challenge is to implement the European Train Control System (ETCS) at level 3. In this way, the distances between trains would no longer depend on infrastructural fixed block sections and thus trains could follow at shorter intervals one after the other. For this approach to increasing the capacity of tracks, a demanding challenge is to realise a continuous train integrity monitoring system (TIMS) especially for freight trains, as there is no continuous electrical line in many of those trains. Within this challenge, the purpose of our publication is to present the methodical approach and the results of a publication analysis of approaches and concepts for TIMSs. For this goal, we researched and analysed intellectual property right documents (patents, utility models, patent application documents, etc.), scientific and business publications, etc. During our project work as part of smartrail 4.0 for Swiss Federal Railways SBB in 2018 and 2019, we contributed results first to the report Zwischenbericht Technologie PoC Lokalisierung as a part on safe train length and train integrity based on the research of in total 609 publications. Building on this, we have classified and enhanced the results. The solution concepts found cover fields like axle counters and track circuits as well as the main brake pipe, a continuous electrical line and coupling concepts. Furthermore, we researched concepts based on global navigation satellite systems, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), optical systems or wireless data transmission. In conclusion, we have identified three promising solution classes for the future: digital automatic coupling, DAS and end-of-train device. Since we could not find a comparable publication, we contribute with this publication an up-to-date overview of concepts for TIMSs and in particular a corresponding classification.

Keywords

train integrity monitoring systems, TIMS, European Train Control System, ETCS level 3, CTCS level 4, moving block, virtual block, localization, digitalisation of freight trains, DAC