EDIP - On-board radio-based control of multiple-locomotive freight trains for trans-European operation
Overview
Background & policy context:
The EDIP project is funded by the European Commission under the 5th Framework Programme GROWTH, DG TREN, Subprogramme Area: "Key Action Land Transport and Marine Technologies". Making freight transport by rail more appealing to container providers and final customers requires a decrease in prices and delays of goods transportation. This is possible by simplifying cross border operations which are time consuming and require a high level of human intervention. This simplification is conceivable if systems embedded in the freight trains are interoperable from a technical point of view in the locomotives pulling these trains and from a geographical point of view through different countries and boundary crossings.
Objectives:
Enhancing performance and competitiveness of cross-border rail freight transport is the goal of the EDIP (European Distributed Power control) project. It aims at providing a system for the control of several hauling locomotives distributed along a train in the new heavy/coupled/long/modular trains concept that is emerging for the optimisation of the expansive slot use and the decrease of hauling costs. Specifications are defined on requirements expressed by freight railway operators. Interoperability is a main aspect of the project and specifications of the developed system will be proposed as candidate standards. EDIP is conducted in a practical vision with a goal short/mid term exploitation benefits. Expected results are the validation of the system during the real scale experimentation, positive economic benefits for haulers and final users, and recognition of the developed system as a European standard.
Methodology:
Phase 1a
covered the identification of:
- operation of long/heavy and modular freight trains today, tomorrow and in the future;
- technologies used in similar existing or prototyped systems;
- existing, new or emerging technologies related to electronic as well as rail that could be used in EDIP to provide parts of a solution;
- unknown standards potentially covering partly the EDIP application. A link with AEIF will be established at this stage;
- the various path cost models that are in force in Europe.
Phase 1b
covered the identification, and the detailed and quantised external specification of functions when appropriate, of:
- the type(s) of freight train that shall be retained within EDIP (coupled locomotives pulling, coupled trains, distributed power, push and pull locomotives, …);
- the most difficult routes where EDIP trains would operate (e.g. mountains) to set some limits to the system;
- the technical characteristics for the retained types (length of trains, number and variety of locomotives, speeds, maximum number of modular trains in the same radio coverage area, …) taking into account the radio link availability;
- operational constraints;
- safety aspects;
- generic and functional requirements for the EDIP communication network;
- investigation in generic functions for the traction and man-machine interface.
In Phase 2:
- the technical means chosen to meet the requirements expressed in the previous phase were specified;
- prototypes of EDIP communication units, and repeaters as needed, designed and developed or adapted based on existing or developed technologies as a result of the previous analysis;
- functional laboratory testing were pe
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