Siemens Mobility will be presenting solutions for more sustainable transport at AusRAIL PLUS.
As the trend toward urbanisation accelerates worldwide, cities are having to deal with the challenge of ever greater traffic volumes.
It is estimated that by 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities and passenger movement will increase threefold, driving the demand for mobility solutions that are simpler, faster, and more flexible — while still reliable and affordable.
Under the motto “Transform mobility for a better tomorrow”, Siemens Mobility will be presenting technologies and solutions for more sustainable, comfortable, and cost-effective rail transport at AusRAIL PLUS 2023.
In essence, Siemens Mobility will be focusing on four main levers at AusRAIL:
- LCC optimised rail infrastructure and rolling stock – helping optimise life cycle costs of customers’ rail business
- Maximised network capacity – system availability and keeping rail systems always running
- 100 per cent system availability – network capacity and getting the most of customers’ network
- Optimised customer experience and processes – capacity utilisation and improving the passenger experience, optimising operations with the power of software
100 per cent system availability
Available at the Siemens Mobility stand will be information on an array of digital products, notably Railigent X, the company’s suite of applications that supports sustainability by enabling rail operators, maintainers, and asset owners to better understand data, analyse assets, and derive actions.
Siemens Mobility Asia-Pacific digital service manager Lester Lim said he would be showcasing many of the digital applications of the software, including monitoring, analysis, and optimisation.
“We help customers monitor the rail network’s health and condition, we have apps that analyse the reliability and investigate failures, and in terms of digital asset management, we monitor the performance and cost and then provide maintenance schedules to optimise the whole life cost for the projects,” he said.
“It helps users access a curated portfolio of connected hardware and software, a powerful ecosystem of partners, and an extensive marketplace – our three-pillar approach to the challenges of digitalisation,” Lim said.
“Every customer, every OEM, is moving to the digital space, and Xcelerator, backed by the Railigent X suite, facilitates co-creation and collaboration between partners, customers, developers and or course Siemens itself.”
Siemens Mobility’s stand will be highly interactive, encouraging visitors to participate in activities, while combining the best of Siemens Mobility’s physical products with the digital world.
It will also look at the many condition monitoring applications that the company has developed for the market.
Maximised network capacity
The rail technology leader will have on display a demo console for ETCS (European Train Control System) for visitors to experience and operate first hand.
ETCS was originally developed for seamless train operation across national borders in Europe, that relays continuous information between the train and a central rail management centre via radio system, trackside technology and on-board equipment.
Present at the AusRAIL Plus stand will be Siemens Mobility’s project systems engineering head for Australia and New Zealand, Derick Hammond, who said the simulator on show will focus on the company’s solution for developing standards for ATO (automatic train operation) in conjunction with ETCS.
“The technological foundation for highly automated operation is the solution ATO-over-ETCS,” he said.
“ETCS ensures safe adherence to headways and monitors speed. ATO controls the train’s traction system and brakes. Control is transmitted via radio signals, and data is sent between the trains and the block control centre.”
One of the main advantages of ATO-over-ETCS is the increase in rail network efficiency due to shorter headways.
Information on the current traffic situation is continuously transmitted to the trains via radio.
“More recently we’ve been doing ETCS level 2 as part of the Digital Systems program in NSW, ” Hammond said.
“The simulator will show the benefits of using ETCS with the advantages of an ATO system in a mainline suburban network.”
Hammond said increasing use of ETCS would also help solve the interoperability issues faced by Australian rail operators.
Optimised customer experience and processes
Software solutions will be a game changer for operators to improve utilisation of resources (seat management, occupancy analytics, network/timetable and capacity planning), availability and interoperability.
Siemens Mobility will have demonstrations of its Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform to help passengers and operators from the first to last mile.
LCC optimised rail infrastructure
Helping optimise power solutions is important as the industry moves to help decarbonise the rail industry in Australia.
Technical experts will be available to engage with attendees on solutions to help meet the customer needs.
Another focus will be on the local capability aspect of Siemens Mobility’s Australian operations, with many local experts available to talk about their experiences and learnings with the technology.
Diversity also takes centre stage, with the company expected to be represented by a high number of women at the conference.
Throughout the conference program, Siemens Mobility will have four speakers presenting on topics relating to interoperability, diversity, innovation and digitalisation.
Visit Siemens Mobility at stand 221 at AusRAIL PLUS.