Long before the road vehicles were hybridized or electrified, trains were hybrid and mostly electrified. The future will be all about sustainability where dependence on fossil fuels is reduced totally, reducing the carbon footprints. Firstly, a concise comparison of autonomous trains and trucks weighing out the positives and negatives are done to find out the usefulness in the current world scenario considering implementation issues, stakeholder involvement, sustainability is done. With this base for automation in trains, the need for autonomous train is studied which insists on the factors such as safety, adaptability, decision-making competency, cost efficiency and energy efficiency. Of course, this has drawbacks in the form of malfunction of the advanced control systems in the autonomous trains, where incorrectly perceived data may lead to a fatal error and another in the form of safety and ethics where it will be questioned whether the automated transport is safe and responsible which implies that even for autonomous trains there is a boundary within which it should be able to operate efficiently. AutoHaul by Hitachi STS is one such system which has adopted to a particular company’s interest and has been developed suiting their needs. An autonomous freight train and a first of its kind, this operates in a dedicated environment for Rio Tinto, transporting iron ore. This has an excellent framework of systems interlinked by communication arrays and control systems, which can consider all the data required (signals, level crossings, track profile, route, etc.,) for a safe running of a vehicle and use it for a smooth operation, whilst also sharing the data between control room and the locomotive. This is enabled using Automated Train Protection (ATP) and European Train Control Systems (ETCS). Finally, a study about Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) in South Africa and its issues are done. It exports coal from about 55 mines in north of South Africa to all parts of the world. The export has taken a dip because of various factors; derailments, train equipment theft, traffic congestion and delayed delivery of goods. With AutoHaul and its State-of-the-Art signalling systems, this issue can be rectified.
Molto prima che i veicoli stradali fossero ibridi o elettrificati, i treni erano ibridi e per lo più elettrificati. Il futuro sarà incentrato sulla sostenibilità in cui la dipendenza dai combustibili fossili sarà ridotta totalmente, riducendo l'impronta di carbonio. In primo luogo, viene fatto un confronto conciso di treni e camion autonomi, soppesando gli aspetti positivi e negativi per scoprire l'utilità nell'attuale scenario mondiale considerando i problemi di implementazione, il coinvolgimento delle parti interessate, la sostenibilità. Con questa base per l'automazione nei treni, viene studiata la necessità di un treno autonomo che insiste su fattori quali sicurezza, adattabilità, competenza decisionale, efficienza dei costi ed efficienza energetica. Naturalmente, ciò presenta degli inconvenienti sotto forma di malfunzionamento dei sistemi di controllo avanzati nei treni autonomi, in cui i dati percepiti in modo errato possono portare a un errore fatale e un altro sotto forma di sicurezza ed etica in cui verrà chiesto se il trasporto automatizzato sia sicuro e responsabile, il che implica che anche per i treni autonomi esiste un confine entro il quale dovrebbe essere in grado di operare in modo efficiente. AutoHaul di Hitachi STS è uno di questi sistemi che ha adottato l'interesse di una particolare azienda ed è stato sviluppato per soddisfare le loro esigenze. Un treno merci autonomo e primo nel suo genere, opera in un ambiente dedicato per Rio Tinto, trasportando minerale di ferro. Questo ha un eccellente quadro di sistemi interconnessi da array di comunicazione e sistemi di controllo, che possono considerare tutti i dati richiesti (segnali, passaggi a livello, profilo del binario, percorso, ecc.) per una guida sicura di un veicolo e utilizzarli per un regolare operazione, condividendo anche i dati tra la sala di controllo e la locomotiva. Ciò è abilitato utilizzando Automated Train Protection (ATP) e European Train Control Systems (ETCS). Infine, è stato condotto uno studio sul Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) in Sud Africa e sui suoi problemi. Esporta carbone da circa 55 miniere nel nord del Sudafrica in tutte le parti del mondo. L'export ha subito un calo a causa di vari fattori; deragliamenti, furto di materiale ferroviario, congestione del traffico e ritardata consegna delle merci. Con AutoHaul e i suoi sistemi di segnalazione all'avanguardia, questo problema può essere risolto.
Study of Autonomous Freight Trains and Case Study for Implementation of Autonomous Technology in an Existing Railway Line
Narayanan, Viswanathan
2022/2023
Abstract
Long before the road vehicles were hybridized or electrified, trains were hybrid and mostly electrified. The future will be all about sustainability where dependence on fossil fuels is reduced totally, reducing the carbon footprints. Firstly, a concise comparison of autonomous trains and trucks weighing out the positives and negatives are done to find out the usefulness in the current world scenario considering implementation issues, stakeholder involvement, sustainability is done. With this base for automation in trains, the need for autonomous train is studied which insists on the factors such as safety, adaptability, decision-making competency, cost efficiency and energy efficiency. Of course, this has drawbacks in the form of malfunction of the advanced control systems in the autonomous trains, where incorrectly perceived data may lead to a fatal error and another in the form of safety and ethics where it will be questioned whether the automated transport is safe and responsible which implies that even for autonomous trains there is a boundary within which it should be able to operate efficiently. AutoHaul by Hitachi STS is one such system which has adopted to a particular company’s interest and has been developed suiting their needs. An autonomous freight train and a first of its kind, this operates in a dedicated environment for Rio Tinto, transporting iron ore. This has an excellent framework of systems interlinked by communication arrays and control systems, which can consider all the data required (signals, level crossings, track profile, route, etc.,) for a safe running of a vehicle and use it for a smooth operation, whilst also sharing the data between control room and the locomotive. This is enabled using Automated Train Protection (ATP) and European Train Control Systems (ETCS). Finally, a study about Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) in South Africa and its issues are done. It exports coal from about 55 mines in north of South Africa to all parts of the world. The export has taken a dip because of various factors; derailments, train equipment theft, traffic congestion and delayed delivery of goods. With AutoHaul and its State-of-the-Art signalling systems, this issue can be rectified.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Report- Autonomous Freight Trains.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/210137