International Railway Journal - January 2008 - (Page 33) Timetable validation components (operation simulation). the individual sections of a line can be taken into consideration. This optimisation determines the planned arrival and departure times of the trains at intermediate stations. This information, together with the individual recovery time buffers, can be used on the track by the train driver because it shows the recommended speed for the next section of line in order to save energy and improve punctuality. Following this cruising approach, significant energy savings can be achieved. Test runs on the Vienna metro have led to improvements of up to 5%. with. This feature has been used for developing the design and operational concept for the new high-speed line in China between Beijing and Tianjin. Track layout Over the last two years, Siemens has helped to check two different mainline stations in Germany - Schönebeck and Stendal - with the Falko toolset to see if planned operations can be executed based on the new track layout and new signalling system. For this purpose, randomly distributed station entry disruptions have been used to show the stability of operations. Freight railways worldwide are looking to optimise their operations in order to cope with increased demand. With BHP Billiton Iron Ore, Australia, and BNSF Railway, United States, both world leaders in heavy-haul freight, have chosen Siemens technology to optimise their operations in comparison with manual train dispatching. Case studies show that the use of innovative technology can increase capacity with lower investment costs compared with the construction of new tracks. With the growing demand for rail transport, traffic density and asset utilisation, a powerful toolset covering all phases of the signalling life-cycle from early planning through to day-to-day operation helps to optimise rail operations. It is not sufficient to have a tool for one part of the life-cycle as maximum business performance can be achieved through an integrated system approach. With the consistent application of planning and simulation technology, signalling systems today can be implemented and commissioned more quickly and costeffectively. IRJ BNSF Railway, United States, has chosen Siemens technology to optimise its train dispatching operations. High-speed For the design of new high-speed lines, Falko enables European Train Control System (ETCS) functions to be simulated. During the planning stage, possible ETCS Level 1 or 2 operations can be demonstrated for the new line or even compared, perhaps to see if the line can be operated with either ETCS Level 1 or Level 2 with the same performance. During design and implementation, early validation of the engineering data, such as the signal and track section positions, is one of the major tasks simulation can help IRJ January 2008 33
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