Railway-News eMagazine Issue 4 2022 - Data & Monitoring

The latest news & reviews from the industry

Railway-News M

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Inside: How Would You Navigate the World If You Couldn’t See?. . . p.6 A conversation with Roger Matthews and Sven Koster from GoMedia and Gabriel LopezBernal from Icomera about Visor, their solution to help the blind and visually impaired navigate railway stations and the wider transport environment.

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AusRAIL 2022. . . p.10

ISSUE FOUR 2022: DATA & MONITORING

Smart Rail:

Reimagining the Future of Transportation Smart and intelligent technologies are helping operators modernize railways and position themselves for future success. From passenger experience systems to predictive maintenance, AI and IoT-driven technologies are enabling railways to automate processes, provide touchless experiences, and improve capacity management. Intel and its ecosystem partners offer market-ready solutions to help make intelligent, connected railway a reality.

Enabling the Smart Rail Experience Passenger Experience Digital Signage and Connected Kiosks

Vision Analytics Security Passenger Safety

Train Control & Analytics A uto-Routing and Scheduling

Connectivity and Network Communications

Predictive Maintenance

Detection of Railway Obstructions

Onboard Units

Driver/Operator Distraction Prevention

Wayside Condition Monitoring

People Counting

Communication between Train Station and Train Control Room

Infotainment and Advertisement Smart T icketing A utomated Fare Collection Access Control

Luggage Tracking A sset Tracking

© Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries.

Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Explore more

Letter from the Editor

and Innovation, and Gabriel Lopez-Bernal at InnoTrans to learn more about this accessibility tool.

For this issue we are also taking a look

at AusRAIL 2022, which will take place in

Brisbane, Australia next month. Read our

feature to find out about all the interesting panel discussions and talks taking place at

Meet the Team!

ANDREW LUSH

Director al@a2bglobalmedia.com

JOSEPHINE CORDERO SAPIÉN Editor-in-chief jcs@a2bglobalmedia.com

NICOLA BROWN

Head of Sales nb@a2bglobalmedia.com

the conference and exhibition.

Dear Readers,

Our Data & Monitoring feature section

For our last rail magazine of the year, we’ve

and innovations within that area. For

revamped our format!

Previously we’ve covered the whole industry in one single magazine – quite a tall order and increasingly challenging given our

magazine’s popularity. As a result, we’ve made the decision to give each major

area its own magazine. They are: Rolling Stock, Data & Monitoring, and Track & Infrastructure.

You’re currently reading our Data &

Monitoring magazine, but please also enjoy our Rolling Stock magazine and our Track & Infrastructure magazine.

shines a spotlight on industry developments example, FoxGuard discusses the internal assess their cyber security vulnerability /

readiness, while Switchio looks at the future of ticketing and explains why it chose to

become Visa Transit Ready and Mastercard Transit Ready.

We hope you love the new format. Please

do get in touch with your thoughts. If you would like our rail news straight to your

inbox, make sure you’re subscribed to us

here. As always, if you want to be featured on our site or in our e-magazine, please

email Andrew Lush or call +44 7432 725001.

If you enjoy our website and magazine, you

Visor, a solution developed by Icomera

– Bus-News, Future Transport-News and

and its subsidiary GoMedia that helps the blind and visually impaired navigate their way around railway stations. They have worked closely with the Royal National

Institute of Blind People and have partnered with Network Rail to do a trial at Euston

Station in London. I met Roger Matthews,

Head of Design zg@a2bglobalmedia.com

audit companies should perform to

As per usual, we open with a feature

editorial. In this issue, you can read all about

ZOE GRIFFEY

might also be interested in our sister sites Airport Industry-News.

LAURA KINGDOM

Head of Client Accounts lk@a2bglobalmedia.com

a2b Global Media Ltd The Generator Hub, The Gallery Kings Wharf The Quay, Exeter EX2 4AN

Office: +44 (0)1392 580002 Mobile: +44 (0)7432 725001 Email: info@railway-news.com Website: railway-news.com

Our first Railway-News magazine of 2023 will be published on 28 February.

Josephine Cordero Sapién, editor-in-chief

Managing Director of GoMedia, Sven Koster,

To subscribe to our newsletter, visit railway-news.com/subscribe COVER: © Siemens Mobility & © Sydney Metro

GoMedia Head of Business Development

3

As part of our Railway-News Issue Four 2022 series we’ve also published the following magazines:

Rolling Stock Read our feature editorial, H2goesRail – On the Way to the Hydrogen Age, in which DB’s Marc-André Sahba and Siemens Mobility’s Jochen Steinbauer provide insights into the two companies’ joint project that explores hydrogen technology for the rail sector.

Read it here.

Track & Infrastructure Under Construction: Sydney Metro West: find out about this ‘once-in-a-century’ investment, its current construction status and recent milestones.

Read it here.

Features

p.6 How Would You Navigate the World If You Couldn’t See?

A conversation with Roger Matthews and Sven Koster from GoMedia and Gabriel Lopez-Bernal from Icomera about Visor, their solution to help the blind and visually impaired navigate railway stations and the wider transport environment.

p.10 AusRAIL 2022 A look at what’s in store at this year’s AusRAIL, which will take place in Brisbane next month.

p.13 Data & Monitoring Directory A directory of railway suppliers for data & monitoring. Read about all the latest innovations and product developments in the rail sector.

Planning & Management Software

p.14

Cyber Security p.17 Communications Technology p.20 Computers & Sensors p.25 Passenger Infotainment p.35 Ticketing p.38 Condition Monitoring p.41 Measurement & Testing Services

p.45

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CONTENTS

Issue Four 2022: Data & Monitoring

How Would You Navigate the World If You Couldn’t See?

BIDI code at Euston Station

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conversation with Icomera and its subsidiary, GoMedia, about Visor, their solution that enables the blind and visually impaired to navigate their way around transportation stations and rail platforms – independently, without the need for expensive, fixed infrastructure.

Accessibility – when we think of that word in terms of transport, we typically think of a wheelchair user, of someone who needs level boarding or ramps and who needs wheelchair-accessible platforms.

But accessibility is a much bigger area in need of consideration.

Think for a moment you are visually impaired or blind. And you want to take the train to visit a friend. You manage to navigate your way to the station, but then what?

Wayfinding must now be accessible.

We spoke to Roger Matthews,

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Managing Director of GoMedia, Sven Koster, GoMedia Head of Business Development and Innovation, and Gabriel LopezBernal, President at Icomera US, at InnoTrans to learn about one of the tools being developed to help the visually impaired navigate their way around stations.

Josephine Cordero Sapién, Railway-News: You have a product called Visor, which helps the blind and visually impaired navigate through stations. Visor uses these colourful ‘BIDI’ codes that users scan with their smartphones to access pertinent information.

Can you tell us a little bit more about how these codes were developed and how they work?

Roger Matthews, GoMedia: The codes were developed by NaviLens and we’re bringing those codes to life. Unlike conventional QR codes, these NaviLens codes are coloured to increase the number of combinations that they can have.

Sven Koster, GoMedia: The colour also helps with the angles and to identify the distance between the code and the scanning device.

The colour also allows the code to be picked up much faster. QR codes were developed 30 years ago. They don’t allow you to give multidirectional feedback. And a user needs to focus on them. A QR code won’t work when you move around because the device won’t focus.

JCS: So they look like QR codes but they’re actually more clever?

RM: Yes, exactly.

JCS: You have been testing Visor using NaviLens codes with Network Rail at London Euston, is that right?

SK: Yes. Last year we conducted a trial with the Department for Transport and Network Rail, as well as the Royal National Institute of Blind People at Euston station.

A BIDI code next to a way out sign at Euston Station

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We did a trial environment going from the taxi rank, the buses, the London Underground, going to the different platforms – platforms one and eight – to prove all the possible scenarios. You arrive at the station. How do you get to the right platform? How do you find facilities, such as the toilets? If you come by train, how do you make your onward journey? How do you get to another platform? How do you get automotive transport?

JCS: To roll out this solution it will always need some hardware, namely the codes? It cannot be fully digital?

SK: That’s right. The operator will have to put the code they need in the station environment, in the form of a sticker, that’s it.

JCS: If the information changes, say there’s a platform change, does the information change?

RM: The team at GoMedia links the codes to real-time passenger information, consistent with the operator’s API. If a train is cancelled or the platform changes, then as

soon as we get that information, we update it. We don’t need to change the code. If a lift, for instance, is out of order, we or the operator can say, ‘this lift is out of order’. And we will already have another route for the passenger to go to a different lift to get down to the same platform.

JCS: Once a code has been picked up, my phone would be set up so that it speaks to me?

SK: Yes, it has the voice-over support using the phone’s system settings. It will use the settings that you’re used to as a person who uses the accessibility options on your phone.

JCS: Do these codes have to be located relatively high up for them to be captured?

SK: Normally they’re located exactly where the navigation sign is – how you and I would navigate around the environment, thinking, ‘okay, where do I need to go next?’

Someone using these codes would normally have a lanyard and have their phone hanging in there. And then that person would use some

earphones to navigate around.

The RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) is also working with some suppliers to design a glasses version as well. Like the Google Glass idea, but just for the camera.

JCS: You vary the size of the codes depending on where you expect people to pick the code up?

SK: Yes. The smallest code is for the shortest distance, the biggest for the furthest distance. You can give different information dependent on the angle as well. You can consider where someone is coming from. If someone is approaching the code from the left, for example, the message could be that the ticket machines are on the right. If the person approaches from a different direction, the response might be that the ticket machines are straight ahead.

RM: We’ve told the station operator – in this case – where to put each code and that’s how we know exactly what the angles are, or the app knows exactly what the angles are and where someone’s positioned within the station.

JCS: Did you have to do a lot of user testing to work out where to place the codes?

RM: We’ve done user testing of course, but actually when we use our phones, we can just move them around a bit and they will pick up the codes.

JCS: But presumably there’s a little bit of setup? When you go to a new station, you have to figure out where the best spots are.

Demonstrating Visor at InnoTrans (l-r): Roger Matthews, Sven Koster, Josephine Cordero Sapién, Andrew Lush

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RM: Yes, we do all that. We have best practice to do it. We work with

the RNIB in order to say which ones are the best types of routes, where should we be putting the codes and so on. We can go out to do it, but we can also provide documentation for operators or stations to do it as well. We’d then want to audit the first few that they did but after that they could go on and do it themselves.

Ultimately, the best way for the codes to be rolled out is for the operator to do it because they’ve already got the civils and everything else they need. They’ve got the steel-toed boots, the ladders, all those things. At Euston we partnered with an installer to put up the stickers. It’s a partnership approach we’re taking.

JCS: Presumably this technology helps everyone. I could use it even if I can see.

RM: Yes, absolutely. If you’re not familiar with a station, if you’re a tourist for example, it would help you. We’re talking to some overseas operators where the language is very different to a European one – a language where you can’t guess.

Our parent company is EQUANS. And we had some of their executives over and they had their phones set to French. We demoed the codes and they immediately displayed the information in French.

It’s a really good system, not just for the visually impaired.

Gabriel Lopez-Bernal, Icomera: In North America we’ve been speaking to agencies operating in very cosmopolitan, international cities. These agencies are now in the beginning stages of exploring trials with us on Visor. They see it as something that’s going to help not

BIDI code at Euston Station’s Mobility Assistance point

only improve accessibility, but also how international travellers access their transit system.

JCS: I think this is interesting just generally from an indoor mapping perspective. We’ve become so used to navigating with our phones rather than looking in the environment.

RM: Exactly. We’re in the huge exhibition grounds of Messe Berlin here and walking around these halls is a wayfinding nightmare. There aren’t that many signs telling you where to go. If I had the codes at every junction, it would tell me where to go.

JCS: I like the scalability. If it’s widely taken up by the public, it will get more support, more funding. That will bring everyone along.

RM: Yes. That’s why we didn’t go off and develop our own solution.

We wanted to work with the RNIB because they’re not just looking at transport, they’re looking at the much wider environment.

These codes are on Kellogg’s packaging they’re on shampoo. So the blind and visually impaired can hold their phone up at a product

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and get information, like nutritional information on a box of cereal.

The codes are familiar. But as a result, we need the industry to adopt this one solution. It’s pointless for each operator to have a different solution. We believe in this solution because it’s low-tech in the station but high-tech on the device and it’s already in the right format in which the user wants it because it uses the handset and the settings on the user’s handset. And it also travels really well because it’s the same requirements everywhere.

JCS: What’s the data requirement that’s needed? Just a functioning data connection or Wi-Fi connection?

SK: Yes. And we have solutions in places where there might be no connectivity, such as in a station.

As long as you had some prior connectivity, it would still work.

For more information please contact enquiries@gomedia.io.

Where: Brisbane, Australia When: 5-7 Decemeber 2022 AusRAIL is the national conference and exhibition of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), “organised annually to bring the industry together to engage on key issues in the rail industry”.

AusRAIL 2022 will take place at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Brisbane, Australia from 5 to 7 December. It is set to see more than 2,000 attendees, 60+ speakers and 90+ exhibitors.

Speaking about this year’s event, Caroline Wilkie, ARA CEO said: “I am so delighted to welcome you to Brisbane to celebrate AusRAIL 2022. After a tumultuous two years, AusRAIL 2022 will bring together industry en masse to celebrate,

network, discuss and engage on the latest issues facing our sector.

With borders open and a long lead time to prepare, we expect a large Australian and international cohort to attend AusRAIL in Brisbane 2022.”

What’s in Store This Year?

The event will kick off with welcome drinks on the first day along with pre-conference technical tours and workshops, before the AusRAIL exhibition opens fully on 6 December. The Chair of the Australasian Railway Association, Danny Broad, and Minister Catherine King from the

Background Image: Brisbane © Lachlan Fearnley under licence

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Commonwealth Government will give the welcome address.

Following that event, Alstom will host a panel discussion, entitled ‘Industry Leaders Setting the Scene’.

It will be chaired by Caroline Wilkie, CEO of the Australasian Railway Association.

Over the course of the day there will be many concurrent talks and panel discussions, covering a wide breadth of topics such as sustainability, asset management, the energy transition to solar, effective knowledge transfer, synthetic fuels, predictive maintenance, signalling and pandemic effects such as getting passengers back to the rail network

© CAF

and testing and commissioning a train during the pandemic.

the Practical Role Rail Can Play in the Future of Mobility’.

on ‘Heavy Haul – Collaborating for Shared Innovation’.

The day will be rounded off by the panel discussion ‘Addressing industry resilience when one in one hundred year weather events have become the norm’. The panellists for this event will include Benedicte Colin, CEO of Transport Asset Holding Entity of NSW, and Murray Cook, CEO of ARC Infrastructure.

The plenary session will be completed by a panel discussion on priority rail safety issues.

The event’s final plenary session will focus on the future of the SEQ rail network, and the West Australian rail transformation, and feature a panel discussion on ‘Achieving Operational Excellence’, chaired

by Rochelle Reynolds, Executive Director Operations, V/Line.

The final day of the conference will open with the Young Rail Professionals breakfast.

During the first plenary session of the day, Caroline Wilkie will give an update on the Australasian Railway Association. Graeme Newton, CEO of Cross River Rail, will give a keynote presentation, as will Andrew Barr, CEO of Hitachi Global.

The latter talk is entitled ‘Hitachi Rail – Innovations, Successes and

The second plenary session will address how to establish and deliver the National Rail Manufacturing Plan and hold a panel discussion

Supplier Spotlight Supplier

Stand

Frausher Sensor Technology 86-91 Hitachi

48-49,52-53 Nokia 20-23 Pandrol 95-98 STAUFF 183-184

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PROVIDING PREVENTATIVE SOLUTIONS www.comech.co.uk

Eliminate Downtime Downtime in the railway industry is both costly and unnecessary. Easily eliminated with evolutionary additions to the railway industry helping the industry become more proactive in operating with preventative measures.

Directory Planning & Management Software

deugro p.14

Cybersecurity FoxGuard Solutions p.17

Communication Technology Rajant p.20 DAMM Cellular Systems p.23

Computer & Sensors Handheld p.25 Sensit p.28 SINTRONES p.29 ZÖLLNER p.32

Passenger Infotainment Netskrt p.35

Ticketing Switchio p.38

Condition Monitoring Intel p.41 Ricardo Rail p.42

Measurement & Testing Services CoMech Metrology p.45 Element Materials Technology p.48

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Directory

deugro visiotrack Enables Optimised Supply Chain

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t the beginning of 2020, deugro launched its inhouse IT platform, deugro visiotrack.

Today, after two and a half very successful development years, deugro has more than 25 clients who use the system on a daily basis.

In order to ensure quality, efficiency and ongoing communication between all parties involved, deugro visiotrack, a web-based supply chain management system, provides a complete overview of all data at all times. The dashboards are one of the main features of the tool.

Through customisable dashboards, deugro visiotrack provides access to all information. A graphical representation and role-specific information can be displayed at a glance. By selecting a variable, the dashboards provide more detailed information. In the performance widgets, all measure points are clickable, and the underlying data is displayed in detail.

Dashboards enable performance

The tracking feature of the deugro visiotrack app

and data analyses, aggregated to the highest useful level (depending on the role of the user), cost analyses and reporting, as well as the tracking of relevant data.

addressed and prevented:

As a result of predictive analytics, significant business impacts can be

•

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• •

Loss of business activities due to supply chain inefficiencies Manual processes costing time and money Vendor performance / nonconformity in a financial context

Planning & Management Software Dashboard with CO2 widget

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Capital expenditure management (coming soon)

As part of the cost analysis coming soon, the system provides an overview of spend, broken down into desired levels, as well as a forecast based on historic data.

Furthermore, freight rate auditing can be easily supported by tracking logistics services spend against predefined annual budgets.

With the deugro visiotrack app, deugro has now enhanced its webbased supply chain management system. Users can access shipmentrelevant information in real-time via the app, which is available for iOS and Android. With the app, users also have deugro visiotrack’s functionality and information on the go, such as scanning barcodes and QR codes and uploading pictures and documents without access to a computer.

Due to the growing demand for deugro visiotrack, a global customer solutions team was established

Transport orders showing emissions per shipment

to create solutions for clients and to provide world-wide support. deugro’s global presence allows us to respond quickly to clients’ needs with customised configurations.

With deugro visiotrack, users have been able to view all emissions information at any time at the touch of a button since April 2022.

tool is another important step towards achieving environmental sustainability,” said Mario Hess, Global Head of Customer Solutions – deugro visiotrack, deugro.

In order to reduce carbon emissions, deugro already provides extensive logistics studies and analyses for clients like rail companies.

“As part of deugro’s commitment to providing innovative logistics solutions for our clients to support global CO2 reduction, and in line with our social responsibility for a net-zero future, the newest feature of the deugro visiotrack

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Mario Hess Global Head of Customer Solutions, deugro deugro.com/deugro-visiotrack

Ready to Make Your Move.

At deugro, we recognize that rail freight transport is an essential solution in moving critical cargo safely, securely and on time. Our experienced specialists offer end-to-end services for rail, including operating our own 16-axle railcar as well as providing transport engineering and in-person field support.

deugro.com

Cyber Security

Directory

Developing a Cyber Security Strategy and Roadmap

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or large/complex transportation networks, starting on your cyber security journey can feel overwhelming, but there are simple steps organisations can take to develop a robust strategy and roadmap, writes George Ifebuzo, Sales Director at FoxGuard Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Framatome.

Maintaining widespread security over vast geographical regions is no easy task for rail networks. However, it is far from impossible.

First, creating a secure digital environment can be broken down into steps, starting with determining what assets are essential to an organisation’s daily operations.

Running through each business process, from how a customer buys a ticket, to how a train gets safely from point A to point B will likely highlight that your business relies on more assets and applications than initially thought and will help

you redefine what’s critical to daily operations.

scrutinise every aspect of your operations.

In our experience, companies tend to focus resources on their most critical assets, which makes sense, but oftentimes don’t realise the effect a peripheral system can have on operations if it becomes unavailable. We’ve seen attackers focus on these less protected secondary systems and still impact critical operations, so it’s key to

The Cyber Security Vulnerability Assessment

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Determining what’s important to daily operations goes hand-in-hand with undertaking a cyber security vulnerability assessment (CVA),

which many of the latest security regulations require. It’s a perfect place to start because this exercise walks you through examining what you have in place while opening your eyes to what’s at risk.

When we perform CVAs on behalf of clients we typically start with a policy and procedure review to get a good perspective between the organisation’s policy expectations and how it actually operates. This gives you a well-rounded view of your current cyber-security stance and using this information, you can establish a baseline of operations, which shows exactly how your business is currently run. This will include an inventory of assets, their configurations and the controls in place.

organisation’s cyber security gaps and can begin creating a mitigation strategy.

We take a first aid approach to this: put pressure on the wound, stabilise the patient and then talk about treatment.

A mitigation strategy begins by taking the results of the gap analysis to prioritise what’s the highest cyber security risk to your organisation.

Alongside this, you’ll come across low-hanging fruit, quick fixes enabling you to close security gaps immediately. While they might not be the most critical issues, they’re easy wins that help mitigate risk and stop the bleeding.

wrapped up in working towards perfection – something that’s in fact unattainable as cybercriminals will always be trying to get one step ahead – so don’t let perfection be the enemy of good.

Cost can also be an issue, particularly as some of the biggest security gaps can be the most expensive to fill and without a clear return on investment (RoI) attached to the work it can be tougher to get boardroom sign off.

In cases where the budget simply isn’t there, look for alternative controls or solutions that will, at the very least, improve your level of security. Simply put, do the best you can with the budget you’ve got. Try to always talk the language of business risk when asking for resources. Oh, and remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. Few companies will be in a position to quickly fully secure their organisation, whether that’s due to funds or human resources.

From here, the next step is to undertake a gap analysis, which enables you to see where security gaps exist.

Having ‘stabilised the patient’ you can then target those larger tasks that will bring your organisation to a much more secure position.

For example, you might have robust policies and procedures in place, but that means nothing if staff only follow them 20% of the time. If your work culture encourages getting results over following procedures, staff may be using shortcuts that enable them to complete a task and creating unnecessary security risks.

Knowledge gaps can be another issue – if training doesn’t address key security procedures someone could easily turn off a device feature that was preventing a cybercriminal from taking advantage of a system vulnerability.

In order for your mitigation strategy to be successful it’s imperative that the technical team and leadership agree on the approach they’re going to take.

This is because the best way to destroy a good strategy is to not have leadership buy-in. In addition the mitigation needs to fall into the risk appetite of the company and be cost effective to move on the solution.

Good Can Be Good Enough!

The Culmination: A Roadmap Forward

Developing a Mitigation Strategy

The goal with this process is to remove risk because every gap that’s closed – no matter how small – makes your attack surface smaller and creates a more secure environment. It’s easy to get

Your mitigation strategy should be developed in partnership with your roadmap forward. This brings everything together into a strategic direction that the business can get behind, having assessed its current

With these steps completed, you now have full view of your

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For example, how would you implement an antivirus for an organisation as large as Amtrak?

That’s 25 states, 400 locations and who knows how many devices. You can’t do that overnight – this can take weeks to plan and deploy in organisations of this scale, and is just one aspect of a robust cyber security programme.

cyber security level and seen where the vulnerabilities lie. It also won’t be the first time executives have heard or seen what is needed to improve your security.

It reflects what can be realistically accomplished, given timelines and budgets, but again requires buy-in, this time from the entire business: shopfloor staff through to the C-suite.

Not everyone may be actively involved in actioning this roadmap, but many in your organisation are likely to be affected by the changes it brings at some point.

Improving cyber security will likely include work practice changes and implementing new processes and procedures that may slow things down or restrict access.

If you want to encourage a more security-minded work culture, it’s important not to simply add security on top of existing process.

Instead, try making secure work practices part of the way all work is done.

By doing so, you’re more likely to develop a company culture that nurtures a robust, mature cyber security programme, as security shouldn’t be the extra task you do at the last minute; it should be the way you perform your tasks.

Don’t Make This Journey Alone Having the right partner to guide you through these steps can simplify your cyber security journey and ensure you don’t overlook potential vulnerabilities.

FoxGuard Solutions can help you break down and prioritise the steps needed to develop and maintain your cyber security programme and provide expert support along the way.

Find out more about how FoxGuard Solutions can support you by visiting our website foxguardsolutions.com/ transportation-rail.

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Where to start 1.

Determine what’s important to operations

2. Undertake a cyber security vulnerability assessment (CVA) 3. Carry out a comprehensive review of policies and procedures 4. Establish a baseline of operations 5. Complete a gap analysis 6. Develop your mitigation strategy 7.

Create your roadmap forward

George Ifebuzo Director of Sales gifebuzo@foxguardsolutions.com +1 704 330 3521

Directory

Rajant

Freight at the End of the Tunnel

By Justin Warren, Sales at Rajant Corporation

T

he United States freight railroads have received approximately $760 billion on capital expenditure and maintenance expenses from 1980 to 2021.

These expenses were related to locomotives, freight cars, tracks, bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure and equipment, which are all essential to efficient

rail mobility. In the most congested urban areas, underground railways are a feasible alternative mode of transportation, creating a smooth and faster passage for carrying

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freight and passengers to many desirable locations, ensuring cargo and goods are delivered on time.

Underground tunnelling is the critical enabler behind delivering

Underground tunnelling projects face a myriad of challenges due to the robust and harsh environments that make it difficult to deploy and operate network systems within them. Complex tunnel layouts inherently lead to obstructions that limit how far wireless signals can travel. As a result, traditional single radio wireless systems cannot function optimally, and fibre is often used to achieve reliable connectivity. These systems are high-cost and difficult to change as tunnel construction progresses.

What’s needed is a flexible wireless network purpose-built to overcome range and reliability challenges underground with rapid, dynamic and cost-effective deployment.

Creating the Foundations of Rail A growing population, the desire for sustainable transportation and infrastructure systems, and the need to minimise surface disturbance have increased tunnelling and underground construction in urban areas. Tunnels are effective for rail operations as they protect the railway tracks within them from weather effects, such as snow and rain, as well as providing a faster path to destinations. Thus, tunnels reduce the overall maintenance cost of the rail system.

Whether building a new tunnel or renovating an existing underground structure on land or underwater, tunnel construction sites are inherently complex environments.

Tunnelling and construction

projects for transportation require real-time monitoring of underground conditions to ensure safe and efficient operations.

As freight railroads account for roughly 40% of US long-distance freight volume, more than any other mode of transportation, seamless and cost-effective construction of rail infrastructure, such as tunnels, is required to keep essential freight items on the move. Not only does the nature of tunnelling create many challenges, the complexity of technological advances in the industry has added further considerations for operators. Tunnelling and heavy construction sites are vast and require a reliable network system to enable vital communications.

Base stations, GPS-guided machines, and other advanced heavy construction applications require reliable network connectivity to run effectively, which traditional serial radios, Wi-Fi and even LTE simply cannot provide.

The industry needs an easily deployable and flexible wireless network to provide a solution to the rugged environments created by heavy construction technology and applications to enable jobs to progress faster, at a lower cost.

Rajant Corporation’s Kinetic Mesh® technology provides a better, mission-critical network alternative.

time worker communications and tracking. It also keeps applications running that improve efficiency, enhance overall safety, enable surface condition surveying and speed up tunnel construction.

Rajant provides a high-bandwidth, fault-tolerant mesh network that can be readily deployed to connect personnel and equipment. It also supports the growing number of Wi-Fi clients that are being used across these sites today, as every Rajant BreadCrumb® node has an integrated Wi-Fi service for compatibility with virtually any commercial off-the-shelf Wi-Fi device such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, IP cameras, sensors and other IP devices. Kinetic Mesh® performs reliably even in areas with varied terrain, like rolling hills or dense foliage, that is present in tunnelling operations because it deploys BreadCrumb® wireless network nodes that autonomously manage data routing around obstructions and local interference.

In addition to real-time communications, the Kinetic Mesh® supports live-streaming video surveillance, machine telemetry and sensor data from equipment collecting data on underground conditions, including groundwater level and the ground’s response.

As a result, the remote command centre has real-time insight into an operation’s status as it occurs underground.

Rajant’s Tunnel Vision on Unearthing the Wireless Connectivity Potential of Rail Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh® wireless network enables fully mobile, mission-critical communications to meet safety mandates for real-

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Rail is essential to transporting freight, creating the most efficient route to various destinations. The

Communications Technology

underground passages for these railways.

advances in technology require connectivity to enable its influence in the tunnelling sector. Safety and productivity in the construction of tunnels are vital in ensuring that the rail industry can function to its full potential.

Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh® provides mission-critical connectivity required to ensure continuous communications with personnel, equipment, and autonomous systems in even the most remote areas of tunnels. On a single network, you can run multiple bandwidth-intensive applications that improve productivity while at the same time increase safety – from real-time monitoring of ground conditions and structures to fleet management, video surveillance, equipment health monitoring, remote robotic inspections, and more.

Network connectivity is missioncritical in tunnelling and other underground construction projects. With the capacity to create networks without fixed infrastructure, Kinetic Mesh® allows underground operations to flexibly establish and extend connectivity in challenging tunnel environments, enabling data, voice, video, and autonomous applications where needed. Rajant’s multi-radio, multifrequency architecture provides the low latency, high throughput and resilient performance required to run advanced rail applications.

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For rail operators, selecting the most appropriate wireless network is critical in successfully powering greater safety, efficiency and autonomy in underground operations.

Alice DiSanto adisanto@rajant.com +1 914-582-8464 rajant.com

DAMM Cellular Systems

Communications: Critical to Keeping the Rail Network Moving

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limate change commitments by the global transport sector are driving initiatives to increase passenger occupancy on the rail network, while simultaneously growing the freight rail business.

its network of specialist system partners, DAMM Cellular Systems has cooperated successfully with a series of worldwide rail and metro operations to deliver highperformance voice and digital communications that do just that.

This focus on providing relief to road and other transport systems comes with an increased pressure on keeping the rail network running smoothly, efficiently and safely with very little downtime.

Due to their inherent design, DAMM’s base stations are optimised for installation within the rail sector and are already helping many organisations enjoy the benefits of increased control, efficiency and safety throughout their networks.

Access to real-time operational information is at the heart of delivering on this promise. It is critical to know what happens, and where, throughout the network: from tracking trains on route, to locating and addressing issues along the track, to keeping operators updated with safety information. Therefore, a resilient and reliable communications infrastructure is needed to help keep the rail industry moving.

But how do you find a system that will be up and running quickly and easily, within budget and with minimum disruption to operations? Together with

Optimised for Rail

Reliable To support quick decision-making and ensure train efficiency, safety and on-time performance, the base stations are designed to guarantee availability of real-time operational voice and data traffic. The fully redundant system offers channel access even in case of a failure situation.

Further resilience is provided by the intelligent decentralised network architecture, which means no single point of failure. This is vital, especially if the network is interfaced with your public

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announcement and passenger information systems and the train’s computer. It will not let you down in day-to-day operations. And it will not fail in cases of emergency!

The technology also supports highquality clear voice audio, which filters out high cabin and ambient noise suffered in rail environments and maximises clarity during transmission.

Environmentally Stable The rugged design of the IP65protected outdoor base station, ensures it keeps on working even in extreme environments. The robust nature of the products means they can withstand fluctuations in power supply, extreme temperatures, high shock and vibration levels and electromagnetic interference.

Their compact design also makes them ideal for installation in narrow tunnels, directly on buildings or on masts alongside the railway or in stations, reducing feeder loss and installation costs considerably.

Easy to Deploy and Maintain Its plug-and-play design delivers simplicity for easy setup and fast deployment.

Communications Technology

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Both the indoor and outdoor base stations offer extremely low power consumption, and thanks to the IP65 encapsulation, the outdoor base station doesn’t need any external air-conditioned housing.

DAMM products are developed with flexibility and user-friendliness at the core, saving substantially on training and project costs.

Furthermore, redundancy means that maintenance can be done without shutting down operations, ensuring an efficient railway operation and avoiding costly down time.

Interoperability In the event of an emergency, it is critical that the radio systems can communicate with each other.

DAMM technology enables the emergency services to be easily and dynamically configured and placed into new talk groups with the railway operator to facilitate communications in order to coordinate rescue works, crowd control, etc.

Products in the DAMM MultiTech product portfolio are built on a multi-technology core-connected system featuring multiple carriers as well as frequency sharing in one box within either UHF

or VHF frequency ranges. This solution ensures easy expansion of existing networks and interoperability between different PMR technologies. The open API enables easy integration to telcos and DAMM infrastructure can seamlessly be combined with either the railway operators’ own products or products from DAMM’s wide range of partners.

Future-Proof

Spectrum Efficient

Compatible with both existing and new systems, you can add or integrate all network components, including base stations, dispatchers, network management facilities and external gateways at any time, even while the system is in operation.

DAMM base stations are extremely frequency efficient, with the trunked infrastructure ensuring that radio channels are allocated on demand to individual users.

With the frequency sharing functionality, you can reuse frequency pairs along a railway track or in a tunnel. You normally need around five frequency pairs to cover a railway track. With the frequency sharing functionality, you only need two, making huge savings on frequency licences. In tunnels, using a series of BS422 base stations instead of repeaters will also eliminate the need for expensive optical fibres. At the same time, you will get a redundant and fully IP-connected unified network. This means you only need one management system and spare parts for one type of hardware.

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Designed for seamless integration and scaling of networks the DAMM solution unites TETRA, DMR and analogue into one powerful platform that allows you to think big, start small and scale fast. Its flat decentralised IP architecture and intuitive software enable effortless, self-configuring site expansion.

Conclusion Whether your network is large or small, and whether you operate underground or in densely populated areas or harsh, remote rural areas, DAMM has the expertise and know-how to help you ensure the sustainable safety and efficiency of your rail application.

To learn more about our costefficient products and solutions and how we can help you, please contact sales@damm.uk.

RUGGED COMPUTERS

FOR TOUGH ENVIRONMENTS

SERIOUSLY RUGGED AND READY FOR ANY FIELD TASK The rugged computers from Handheld are best known for the combination of high performance and the strength to be able to handle the most demanding field applications.

Laughing off the roughest weather and harshest handling, they are perfect for today’s mobile workforce, weather it is checking mobile tickets on board a public transport vehicle, or working outdoors building train tracks, roads and tunnels.

Directory

Two New Ultra-Rugged Android Computers with Future-Proof Features for Field Work

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andheld Group, a leading manufacturer of rugged mobile computers recently announced the release of two new rugged mobile computers for outdoor field work: the Algiz RT10 ultra-rugged 10-inch Android tablet as well as the Nautiz X81 data collector. Both devices combine state-of-the-art design and performance with future-proof technology that will maintain its versatile utility through its entire life-cycle.

The Algiz RT10 ultra-rugged tablet comes with a high-res 10-inch touchscreen and is among the lightest in its class at 980 grams.

With a powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon 5G platform and Android 11 operating system (OS), it delivers enterprise functionality for mobile field workers. And the

powerful processor with futureproof 5G functionality will remain cutting-edge for years.

The Nautiz X81 ultra-rugged handheld comes with an innovative 4.8-inch screen that uses unique display technology to deliver a truly sunlight-readable screen for

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outdoor work – without draining the battery life. The Nautiz X81 data collector comes with a full numeric keypad and was also designed to accommodate customer and jobspecific requirements. It features customisation via expansion caps allowing a wide array of affordable and easy-to-develop solutions.

Rugged Enough for True Outdoor Work Powerful and Accurate GPS Performance Both the Nautiz 81 data-collector and the Algiz RT10 tablet include a dedicated built-in u-blox receiver for fast and accurate location data.

A GNSS antenna supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou as well as SBAS, so GIS field technicians and other mobile crews can count on their outdoor digital tools for reliable performance.

The Algiz RT10 also offers untethered dead reckoning (UDR) by blending GNSS signals and inertial sensors to provide accurate positioning performance under even weak GNSS conditions, such as tunnels, without the need to connect to the vehicle network.

Customisable, HighQuality Data Capture and Communication With built-in cameras, workers can take sharp images of completed work, and barcode scanners and dedicated scan buttons allow for speedy data collection operations by scanning barcodes of specific track sections, part numbers and

more. And with built-in Wi-Fi, 5G performance as well as 4G/ LTE, field crew can find a signal almost anywhere and instantly communicate with co-workers or the back office.

Optimise and Accessorise for Field Efficiency The Algiz RT10 and Nautiz X81 rugged computers for field professionals also come with a host of accessories to make work in the field as efficient as possible. From custom carrying cases and fieldreplaceable batteries to flexible vehicle docks with antenna passthrough outlets for external GPS and Wi-Fi.

Android Enterprise and MaxGo MDM Just as all of Handheld’s ultrarugged Android computers, the Algiz RT10 and the Nautiz X81 are Android Enterprise Recommended (AER) verified by Google, meaning they are on a shortlist of qualified, enterprise-focused devices.

And they come with Handheld’s proprietary MaxGo mobile device

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For outdoor field work, ruggedness is crucial. And Handheld’s rugged computers take tough environments in their stride. Drop them, shake them or use them in pouring rain – the IP67-rated Algiz RT10 tablet and the Nautiz X81 handheld are both fully waterproof and dust tight. Temperature extremes? Handheld’s rugged computers have excelled in the scorching Australian Outback and bitter cold of Mt Everest. The Nautiz X81 is reliable from -30˚C to +60˚C and the Algiz RT10 is not far behind.

Drops, vibrations, shocks, humidity?

They both meet MIL-STD-810G military performance standards for rugged operation.

Powerful and purpose-built – the Algiz RT10 and Nautiz X81 rugged computers can go anywhere and accomplish anything you need to do there.

Computers & Sensors

management (MDM) software which enables custom settings across all devices in a field network; whether your deployment has one unit or two hundred devices, you can easily co-ordinate system settings across your units and manage them remotely.

Computers & Sensors

Directory

In-Vehicle Computers Made by SINTRONES

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INTRONES’s new ABOX5211 series in-vehicle computer is equipped with the 10th generation Intel Core™ i9 processor, eight GbE, and optional eight PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) and the industrial internet of things (IIoT) for intelligent transportation systems.

design, and all critical external device connection interfaces are designed on the same side, which makes subsequent expansion and maintenance easier. Various arrangements and technical integrations are designed to meet the needs of – and are especially tailored for – the advent of the new generation.

Equipped with dual SIM card slots to support 5G and LTE communication, it can quickly achieve stable and efficient wireless network transmission.

Taiwan’s industrial computer industry has attracted worldwide attention. Among the many vertically integrated application fields, smart transportation has always been the main application with much-anticipated profitability.

ABOX-5211 has a unique ‘onesided I/O focusing’ integrated

SINTRONES started with the manufacture of in-vehicle

ABOX-5211 Series

computing systems. Since its establishment in 2009, it has accumulated more than ten years of complete R&D experience and successfully opened new ground in important markets such as Europe and the United States.

Through long-term accumulated practical experience of co-operating with end customers in Europe and the United States around design, we get the interaction and inspiration of countless precious customers’ first-hand feedback and then continue to accept the next challenge. We continue to develop various vital products so that all of SINTRONES’s products can be used in harsh vehicle or rolling stock situations.

For more information, please visit the SINTRONES website.

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Directory

ZÖLLNER

Infrastructure Solutions Both Preventive and Reactive Christian Olsiewski, Product Manager ZÖLLNER Signal GmbH

Preventive Cable Monitoring System MPX V3 Reduces Train Delays The vision of ZÖLLNER’s product line for infrastructure solutions is to significantly contribute to mobility changes – convincing more and more people to use the railway is necessary to tackle climate change. Therefore, we need to make the railway infrastructure more resistant to sudden failures that lead to train delays and in consequence to less public acceptance of the railway. One solution to reach this goal is the preventive cable monitoring system MPX V3 – continuously tracking humidity and insulation values on the cable infrastructure to detect and evaluate quality degradations before they lead to failures.

Brief Introduction to the System The control unit of the MPX V3 is integrated into signal boxes and can measure insulation values of the outgoing cables themselves as well

as humidity values in cable cabinets using data provided by patented passive sensors [Fig. 1].

The MPX system can be configured individually from five up to 19 measuring channels which consist of up to five partial measuring sections each. Values of the interlocking system’s ground fault detector, Bender IRDH265, can also be monitored by the MPX V3. In addition, the system can be extended by four channels recording the interfering voltages acting on the cable. Since the MPX V3 uses two free cable cores for measurements, it is not interfering with the superior system.

The collected data is always available – directly at the touch display of the main unit, remotely via LTE connection or in semiannual reports of the manufacturer including recommendations when and where to take action.

The system has product approval from Deutsche Bahn, is now installed in more than 10 signal boxes and has already proven itself in practice.

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Figure 1

Practical Examples Typically, degradation due to water ingress is a gradual process as can be seen in Fig. 2. The insulation value of the cable is continuously decreasing. In this case, the degradation is assumed to follow a linear trend and a point in time when the cable is likely to fail can be predicted quite accurately.

If seasonal effects occur on the infrastructure as shown in Fig. 3, the troubleshooting appears to be more complex. In this example the system monitors decreasing insulation during the colder and rainy months of the year while the cable’s insulation recovers in the warmer months. The system also recognises

Computers & Sensors Figure 2

a cable cabinet with high humidity values – by drying and repairing the affected cable cabinet the loss of insulation has been successfully prevented for the next winter.

Your Benefits The MPX V3 offers several benefits.

By predicting possible failures of the cable infrastructure, the system enables targeted preventive maintenance – measures and repairs can be planned more efficiently and costs can be reduced.

In addition, in the actual situation of long procurement times, specific cables can be ordered on time.

Moreover, the risk of train delays due to cable interference can be reduced, stabilising the network infrastructure.

ZÖLLNER SpeedMonitoring Unit Prevents Speeding Accidents Under certain circumstances the effects of speeding in rail transport can be catastrophic. For this reason, ZÖLLNER has developed systems to measure and monitor the speeds of rail vehicles with high precision and

Figure 3

to switch components on the basis of this information. An innovative solution which reduces the amount of hardware needed compared to the classic 3-magnet-system is the ZGP, the ZÖLLNER speed-monitoring unit.

actual and target speeds now takes place within the ZGP – the latter can be easily configured on the main unit.

If the determined speed now exceeds the preset limit value, the track magnet is activated in the classic variant of the ZGP. The rail vehicle equipped with a counterpart is accordingly forced to stop.

System Overview and Function

Flexible System – Flexible Interfaces

ZÖLLNER’s system for train protection basically consists of a wheel sensor from Frauscher, any track magnet and the main unit ZGP [Fig. 4].

The ZGP system is flexible in multiple ways. First, the system can be used either in a stationary position [Fig. 5], for example mounted alongside the track or inside an interlocking system, or in a mobile setting, where the complete

The necessary train information, including a value for the speed of the rail vehicle, is generated at the wheel sensor and forwarded to the ZGP. A secure comparison of the

01 // Speed detection

02 // Data evaluation

Sensor

03 // Action:

For example train control

Actuator ZGP

Interface //

e.g. signal box

Figure 4

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Remote diagnostics

functionality of the stationary ZGP is implemented in a portable case that can be mounted on a tripod [Fig. 6].

Additionally, the system interfaces can be adjusted according to specific needs. The current system can handle different input signals from the interlocking system or a Frauscher wheel sensor and can switch different types of track magnets – but the system could also be modified to other specific use cases.

Practical Example – The ZGP Is Coming Home Originally developed for the Austrian market with up to 1000 devices installed there by the ÖBB, the ZGP is now also entering the German market. In the new version for the German light rail operator VGF, Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main, the logic behind the control of the track magnet is inverted. The track magnet is permanently active and is deactivated when the correct

Figure 5

speed is maintained. Currently 29 systems are being integrated into Frankfurt’s light rail infrastructure to prevent trains from entering the train station with excess speed to avoid them running over the end of the track.

Outlook Even if the ZGP’s entry into the

German market was an important goal for ZÖLLNER, the ZGP’s journey continues straight ahead. For the future, use on other light rail and branch lines as well as on the main lines of Deutsche Bahn is being considered. In addition, work is currently underway to integrate the ZGP into the ZÖLLNER Cloud in order to be able to use the information generated at the ZGP remotely in the best possible way.

For more information please contact ifs@zoellner.de + 49 431 7027 – 178

Figure 6

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DELIVERING ON THE PROMISE OF ONBOARD VIDEO STREAMING. Delight your passengers with on board access to their video streaming service subscriptions. With Netskrt edge Content Delivery Network, you can offer direct to consumer video streaming services, without impacting bandwidth needed for email and internet browsing.

www.netskrt.io info@netskrt.io

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Netskrt

High-Speed Video Streaming for High-Speed Travel An Unparalleled Video-Streaming Experience While Onboard Is Within Reach

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igh-speed, high-capacity innovations are making rail travel a more effective mode of transportation for passengers, but even though the journey is shorter, the time passengers spend while commuting or travelling is still valuable to them.

Providing passengers with enjoyable or productive ways to spend their onboard time helps increase customer satisfaction.

While many trains offer Wi-Fi, limited bandwidth restricts passengers to email or slow browsing. To offer better onboard

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entertainment, some rail operators provide walled-garden video-ondemand (VOD) systems, but with the increase in video streaming

Rail operators need to look to a new solution to improve their onboard entertainment service – that is, giving passengers access to their subscribed video streaming services while onboard. The global video streaming market size was worth USD 59.14 billion in 2021. It is expected to be valued at USD 321.5 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 20.7%. More and more people are opting for streaming services.

By meeting passenger expectations to be able to view their content when and where they want to, rail operators can meet customer expectations.

Further, if they can do this, while not impacting internet bandwidth that supports browsing and email, they may even exceed customer expectations. The solution is to bring the content close to the viewers with an edge content delivery system – essentially streaming the video once, but serving it to many passengers.

Netskrt designed their edge content delivery network (eCDN) for exactly this challenge. By combining cloud-based machine learning with network-aware edge caching, Netskrt’s eCDN delivers a completely transparent and indistinguishable streaming experience compared to what users experience at home. The Netskrt eCDN improves onboard Wi-Fi performance and passenger satisfaction by enabling seamless internet video streaming from

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popular content delivery providers, without consuming precious trainto-internet cellular bandwidth. Once in place, passengers can use their own devices and subscriptions to stream ultra-high-definition (UHD) video content as well as select live broadcasts, such as sporting events.

Internet connectivity is a necessity for passengers and now is the time for rail operators to bring internet video streaming to the absolute edge with Netskrt’s eCDN solution.

Passenger Infotainment

services, it’s difficult to compete with the selection passengers choose from at home. On top of that, the cost to rail operators for licencing fees for video content can be substantial.

Directory

Switchio

Switchio – A Visa and Mastercard Partner for cEMV Payments in Public Transport Visa Ready for Transit – Accelerate Adoption of cEMV Payments Switchio is Visa Transit Ready.

•

•

•

Public transit operators around the world are upgrading their payment experience to give riders more freedom and convenience Visa Transit, a robust global network of leading payment technology providers, accelerates implementation of cEMV payments in public transport Switchio, a unique all-in-one cEMV payment solution, meets Visa’s exacting global standards for quality and reliability

In a world where urban commuters are increasingly demanding speed,

security and convenience in public transit, Visa-certified Ready for Transit partners are committed to providing the latest in cEMV payment technologies in line with Visa’s exacting global quality and reliability standards.

Open Loop for a Superior Urban Mobility Payment Experience Public transit network operators often use proprietary ticketing and fare collection systems based on closed-loop payment cards issued for a specific network or mode of transport. While these cards may work well within the given system, they are effectively useless anywhere else, and that makes them highly inflexible. Moreover, the infrastructure required to administer them is costly and

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complicated.

When switching from a closed-loop system to an open-loop one, transit operators who turn to a Visa Ready for Transit partner such as Switchio free themselves of the immense financial and time burden stemming from the development of a modern cEMV payment infrastructure. They can devote more resources to other key aspects of their business, like growing ridership by offering the best-possible commuter experience.

The Best Technologies and Expertise in One Place Visa Ready for Transit gives operators easy access to a wide variety of certified technology partners to speed up implementation of new payment

Ticketing

systems, including terminals, backoffice infrastructure and flexible payment gateways.

Switchio is unique in that its innovative payment technology is delivered as a comprehensive offthe-shelf solution encompassing everything operators need to upgrade their system and begin saving money.

“Technologies that enable contactless open-loop payments are already positively impacting the lives of millions of commuters worldwide,” says Jaroslav Stuchlík, Head of Switchio’s Transport and Parking Division. “Having a consolidated selection of the best technologies certified by Visa is a major step forward in the global digitalisation of payments in public transport. It’s never been easier to go digital.”

Visa Ready for Transit Visa Ready for Transit is a robust worldwide network of partners certified by Visa to accelerate the implementation of innovative

payment solutions and services with the ultimate aim of improving the urban mobility payment experience for operators and their customers.

The network is underpinned by new standards that simplify the certification of payment solutions for operators and transit solution providers.

Switchio, a MastercardCertified Transit-Ready Partner Switchio is accelerating the transition to cEMV payments in public transportation.

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Mastercard’s Transit Partner Program is an extensive global network of urban mobility experts and technology providers working within a framework of established global standards to accelerate the adoption of contactless EMV payments in public transportation by removing barriers to implementation.

The Czechia-based firm Switchio develops an innovative payment gateway that saves transit agencies considerable financial resources by enhancing their rider experience with modern contactless payment options. The solution is designed to let transit agencies move

are an essential component in a unique holistic approach to cities designed with a primary focus on people and the community to bring about greater financial inclusion, community reach and engagement while making essential everyday services as accessible and convenient as possible.

from a closed-loop system to a fully operational open-loop fare collection infrastructure complete with PCI DSS certification within as little as three months.

Greater speed and security • Less congestion, fewer delays during rush hour • Significantly reduced risk of fare evasion

Helping Transit Agencies Overcome Challenges so They Can Focus on Moving People

Lower operating costs • No cash and coin handling costs • Smaller transaction fees through aggregation

Existing fare management and collection systems are costly, and the infrastructure underpinning them is difficult to future-proof.

Moreover, they present many unnecessary barriers to rider convenience, such as overly complex ticketing options, long queues at peak hours, delays due to excessive dwell times (i.e. vehicles having to wait at stops as passenger transactions are processed) and a lack of interoperability with thirdparty service providers.

By tapping into Mastercard Transit & Mobility Solutions, agencies gain access to innovative solutions such as Switchio’s all-in-one cEMV payment platform, delivering a wide range of benefits:

Enhanced image, better rider outlook • Digital tickets are more ecofriendly than paper tickets • Superior ridership tracking and reporting capabilities

A Holistic Approach to Cities Mastercard’s transit and mobility network brings together technology leaders from across the urban transit ecosystem who understand that public transit users are not mere riders but are also residents, schoolchildren, parents, business owners and tourists who must interact with multiple civic services every day. Mastercardcertified transit-ready partners

Higher revenues • Sustainable ridership growth • Increased travel frequency

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Jaroslav Stuchlík, who heads Switchio’s transport and parking division, sees immense value in this type of network. “Technologies that enable contactless open-loop payments are already changing the lives of millions of commuters worldwide,” he says. “Giving transit agencies a comprehensive selection of the best technologies certified

by Mastercard is fundamental to accelerating the adoption of cEMV payments in public transport.

Switchio is proud to be part of it.”

About Mastercard Transit & Mobility Solutions Mastercard has more than a decade of experience engineering innovative urban mobility solutions and reshaping public transit experiences. Certified partners from across the ecosystem adhere to global standards to accelerate the adoption of contactless payments in public transportation. Cities and transit agencies turn to this robust network to address challenges in realising efficiencies, supporting public health and safety, and providing new levels of convenience for transit users.

Power End-to-end

Smart Rail Solutions with Intel

Discover how to simplify the path to smarter railways with end-to-end solutions based on Intel technology.

Intel technologies impact every segment of the smart, connected world ,)'ɴ." ɴ 0# ɴ.)ɴ." ɴ( .1),%ɴ.)ɴ." ɴ cloud to insights. Intel and its vast set of ecosystem partners and solutions create a more vibrant, extensible, and sustainable way for railways to implement intelligent strategies.

Additionally, Intel helps to protect connected systems from the inside out with a strong foundation of security technologies.

Intel® Intelligent Transportation Portfolio Performance

Security

Scalability

Reliability Explore more

FPGA

Intel

SENSORS & EDGE COMPUTE

WIRELESS TECH MMWave

ACCESS NETWORK

CORE NETWORK

CLOUD & ANALYTICS

5G NR NFV

SDN

LTE WiFi

Machine Vision

Virtualization

Functional Safety

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Ricardo Rail

PanMon: Pantograph Condition Monitoring

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or a frustrated passenger on the platform, news that services are suspended due to ‘damage to the overhead wires’, is the most heart-sinking of all.

Where ‘signal failures’ offers hope services could resume shortly, and ‘broken down train’ leaves open the potential that a replacement is on its way, damaged wires suggest long delays. By instinct, passengers suspect they won’t be completing their journey today.

As passenger disappointment frequently festers into frustration, the question of “Why can we not avoid such incidents” appears in thoughts, complaints and increasingly social media feeds.

A damaged pantograph – particularly one with degraded contact strips (the carbon surface that contacts the copper wire), can inflict significant wear and damage to OLE apparatus. In extreme cases, it can cause a tear-down of the wires. For vehicles travelling at speed, the damage can extend for many hundreds of metres, with repairs taking many hours or in some cases days.

(which monitor for track or catenary issues), PanMon provides a continuous feed of real-time diagnostics without interrupting service.

On average, the UK railway has one ‘dewirement’ per month, with each incident’s cost estimated at around one million pounds, and considerably more at major junctions.

PanMon captures high-definition images at 3,000 frames per second, meaning even trains travelling at high speeds have their pantographs captured in detail.

To some extent, we can.

Gaining the ability to identify defective pantographs and quickly remove them from service can deliver significant benefits to operators, infrastructure managers, passengers and freight.

Wear and Tear

Predict and Protect

Over time, damage to the overhead line equipment (OLE) is, of course, inevitable. There are many causes, with weather, such as high winds or extreme heat, being the most obvious.

PanMon is a remote condition monitoring system from Ricardo providing fully automatic, real-time condition assessment of in-service pantographs.

Another significant cause of damage is defective pantographs.

Like other products in the Ricardo intelligent rail monitoring suite, such as InfraMon and CatMon

Background Image: PanMon installed near Braidwood, Scotland

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Used in the UK, Europe, Australia and Africa, PanMon scanners are positioned above the overhead wires to capture 3D laser scans and images of each pantograph on every passing train.

Concurrently, lasers scan the full width of the pantograph, building a three-dimensional model, used to measure symmetry, roll, pitch, yaw and the integrity of the carbon contact strips.

The scans are digitally stored in the cloud by our Danish technology partner PantoInspect. The images and scans are analysed for chips and defects, damage to the end-horns, and wear of the contact strip.

A customised dashboard relays analysis to maintenance teams, with any issues highlighted. Should specified thresholds be breached, an alarm is raised. Accessible data for each pantograph includes highresolution images, a 3D model and

Condition Monitoring PanMon provides live intelligence on pantograph health

imagery of the entire train roof.

Any defective units identified can then be prioritised for maintenance (minor fault) or withdrawn from service (major fault). These timely interventions avoid damage to both vehicle and infrastructure, delivering a more reliable railway.

Scotland’s PanMon Systems Delivering 99.5% Accuracy In 2019, Network Rail Scotland commissioned Ricardo to install fourteen PanMon scanners to increase railway system reliability and route availability.

Units were positioned on some of Scotland’s busiest routes, including the East and West Coast lines, Edinburgh-Glasgow, North Clyde and Stranraer. Each active pantograph is inspected as the vehicle passes a PanMon scanner.

The scanners capture data at a frequency far exceeding the capability of traditional inspections, together with avoiding the time, costs and hazards of electrical isolations and working at height.

Each line-speed inspection takes just a fraction of a second and

detects issues before they result in damage and delays. On these routes PanMon keeps watch.

the user – no longer the deluge of data that can overwhelm and veil valuable insights.

Identifying optimum locations to install PanMon scanners, ensuring the equipment is positioned safely – without obstructing dayto-day operations – is only part of the challenge. The critical factor, as far as maintenance teams are concerned, is accuracy. A system that misses too many emerging faults offers limited value. As would one that reports too many false positives.

Of course, no single solution can safeguard all infrastructure from all risks. But, as PanMon in Scotland shows, there are proven and reliable technologies that can make a real difference.

To ensure the system met expectations, Ricardo’s teams maintained close watch of PanMon’s performance during its initial operation, making minute adjustments where required.

Within a few months, average accuracy exceeded 99.5%, with 50,000 pantographs being scanned and analysed each month.

Expert Support Condition monitoring is not new, but it has come far. As accuracy approaches near-perfect, analytics are laser focused on the needs of

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PanMon delivers efficiencies that payback in terms of safety, network resilience, route availability and, ultimately, cost savings.

For the stranded passenger now frantically making alternative plans, they are worth every penny.

Liam Purcell +44 (0)1273 455611 rail@ricardo.com rail.ricardo.com/panmon

RAIL EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST We are a global rail business that provides certification, technical assurance and engineering services to help you navigate the industry’s operational, commercial and regulatory demands.

• Accredited certification, including Notified, Approved and Designated Body

We support clients, ranging from some of the world’s largest rail administrations to niche component suppliers, with capabilities in all disciplines - from rolling stock and infrastructure to energy efficiency and operations.

• Planning, Design and Analysis

• Operations and Maintenance • Systems Engineering • Decarbonisation

FIND OUT HOW WE CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS SUCCEED EMAIL: RAIL@RICARDO.COM | WEB: RAIL.RICARDO.COM

CoMech Metrology

When You Need Metrology Solutions, Think CoMech

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oMech has been around since 1985 and continues to grow year on year.

CoMech Metrology is well known in the rail sector and it’s where our roots really began; however, CoMech has expertise and proficiency in the automotive and aerospace sectors too.

CoMech Metrology has worked with some of the biggest names in the UK transport industry, who trust CoMech for their solutions.

In addition, CoMech provides accredited calibrations to many other national brands too.

We pride ourselves on making measurement solutions stress-free and more accessible.

CoMech Metrology’s Story We’ve gone from strength to strength over the years, not just growing our team but keeping up and innovating on new technology compliance and regulations within the industry.

The expansion of the company led to moving the compliance, administration, sales, marketing, logistics and finance departments

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to the RTC (Rail Technical Centre) in 2016. In 2021, following further growth, these departments along with the electrical and pressure calibration departments were then moved to a larger premises on Pride Park. This was a significant step towards providing scope for future growth into other sectors in addition to rail – such as aerospace, automotive and general high-tech engineering.

The home of our ever-growing team and accredited laboratories is located at the centre of the UK’s rail industry in Derby, East Midlands.

The rail sector feels like home to us since this is where our roots began,

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but in 37+ years of service, we have developed expertise and proficiency in various other industries including: aerospace, engineering and food & beverage.

If you’ve heard of CoMech, it’s probably because our reputation for quality and trust has led us to supplying some of the nation’s biggest brands. We work tirelessly to make sure our clients receive high-quality, uncompromised service and solutions.

Our talented teams work from our purpose-built laboratories and work alongside our customers to find the right solution for all their metrology needs.

CoMech Metrology in the Rail Industry Downtime in the railway industry is both costly and disruptive. It is easily minimised using MiniProf, a revolutionary addition helping the railway industry become more proactive in preventative maintenance.

Our uncompromising commitment to investing in skills, resources and facilities is reflected in the extensive range of services that meet the highest industry standards. These include: •

•

Calibration services: our inhouse calibration laboratories are accredited to carry out calibration of your specialist equipment, regardless of your industry HAV assessment: protecting your employees from dangerous over-exposure to vibrations causing hand-arm vibration

syndrome (HAVS), by assessing your tools and calculating a safe level and recommending a safe limit for daily use •

PAT testing: meet health and safety regulations with portable appliance testing (PAT) of electrical equipment, ensuring that it is safe to use

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On-site services: our accredited engineers can come to your site, when convenient for you, to test and assess your equipment to meet your business needs

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Asset management: TrackRecordPro is an asset management system that allows you to keep track of all your items’ calibration states, HAV assessments and PAT tests all in one place with easily accessible records and reminders ensuring you remain compliant

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CoMech Supplies: CoMech Supplies is the go-to hub for industry-specific specialist equipment, supplying companies with essential

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products for all your customer safety, tooling and engineering needs •

MiniProf: MiniProf is specifically made for the quality control, maintenance and safety regulation of rail tracks, brakes and wheels – an easy-to-use and highly accurate instrument making measurements reliable and hassle-free

Contact CoMech Metrology for more information www.comech.co.uk sales@comech.co.uk + 44 (0)1332 867700

Element Materials Technology

Choosing a Vibration Testing Procedure

Vibration analysis

F

rom validating product design and establishing operational limits to qualifying equipment based on customer or industrial standards, vibration testing is a valuable tool for manufacturers, designers and engineers.

In general, vibration testing is used to demonstrate a product’s ability to resist dynamic loads

without losing critical functional or structural integrity under specified loads. It can be used to identify accumulated stress effects, and the resulting mechanical weaknesses and performance flaws.

Choosing the right vibration testing protocol helps ensure that products can safely withstand the vibration levels they experience throughout their service life, ensuring product quality and safety.

While most standards provide generic default test severities, more

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advanced procedures use existing data from product performance and operational environments to better replicate in-service conditions.

Understanding Different Vibration Testing Procedures There is a wide range of vibration testing procedures available, each with unique features and benefits.

While they all share similarities,

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the primary differentiating factor is the type of excitation created by each method. The pattern, rhythm and dwell of vibration testing procedures help determine which method is best-suited to replicate real-world conditions and ensure product quality.

Sinusoidal (Sine) Vibration The simplest vibration testing procedure, sine vibration testing, uses a single sinusoidal tone following simple harmonic motion input to the test specimen. This sinusoidal tone can be swept across the test frequency range, or it can be fixed on a single frequency, depending on the requirement.

Sinusoidal testing stimulates a test specimen’s natural structural (resonance) frequencies of vibration. Test frequency can be selectively varied to focus on natural frequencies of interest.

Swept sinusoidal testing using lower acceleration levels is typically used to perform resonance searching (vibration response investigation) to identify resonance frequencies present in the test specimen.

In addition to identifying natural frequencies, swept sinusoidal vibration can be used to evaluate the endurance of test specimens over successive sweep cycles; this sweeping covers the entire test frequency range and accumulates oscillations at each frequency over the test duration.

Broadband Random In contrast, random vibration procedures cover vibration of a stochastic nature resulting from transportation or operational

environments (for example in aircraft, space vehicles and land vehicles).

Random vibration replicates environments that are unpredictable and non-repetitive.

Unlike sine methods, which rely on steady, regular frequency for testing, these methods use uniquely generated patterns to simulate realworld applications. When coupled with custom vibration profiles, random vibration testing protocols are a powerful tool for product qualification and validation.

Composite Vibration For some projects, more than one type of vibration testing protocol is used to meet unique requirements, ensure accurate test conditions, or create accelerated programmes.

In these cases, multiple vibration methods are combined to create a single, composite standard.

While there are virtually endless numbers of unique composite vibration methods available, the most popular are sine-on-random and random-on-random.

Combined Environmental Test Procedures Because environmental factors like temperature, humidity and altitude can compound the effects of vibration on a product, combined environmental and vibration testing procedures are sometimes used to create a realistic test environment.

Popular in test programmes like MIL-STD-810, RTCA DO-160 and DEF STAN 00-35, combined environmental programmes provide a more robust validation programme, allowing for the real-

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Vibration testing

world variables that affect product performance.

Element’s global product qualification labs offer vibration testing protocols and combined environmental programmes using a wide range of electrodynamic vibration shaker systems. With experience in critical industries across the globe, we are experts at helping you create vibration testing procedures that make your products better, stronger and more reliable.

For more information about our vibration testing services, or to request a quote, speak to an expert today.

Thank you for reading Issue Four 2022: Data & Monitoring of the Railway-News magazine.

Visit our website to keep up to date with the rail sector.