Data into action
Siemens’ HS2 Bid Manager KEVIN CLARK tells RAIL what benefits intelligent rail solutions are yielding for passengers and the wider industry
Intelligent rail solutions from SIEMENS.
Throughout the last 200 years locomotive propulsion technology has proved to be a hotbed of innovation. Ever since the creation of the world’s first full-scale railway steam locomotive by British mining engineer Richard Trevithick in 1804, main line trains have become increasingly faster, energyefficient and more powerful as the steam age eventually gave way to dieselisation, followed by the spread of today’s global network of modern electrified high-speed lines.
More recently, the most significant advances in rolling stock have come in the implementation of intelligent software-based innovations, as the rail industry continues to embrace modern digital technology and the improved connectivity it can offer.
Siemens has been at the forefront of this transition, as exemplified by its National Rail Award-winning fleet of Class 700s, currently operated by Govia Thameslink Railway as part of the government-sponsored Thameslink Programme.
As part of Siemens’ Desiro City platform, a total of 1,140 vehicles have been built at the company’s Krefeld manufacturing plant in Germany since 2013.
The ‘700s’ are fully digitally enabled, becoming the first main line trains in the world to operate using both Automatic Train Operation (ATO) and ETCS (level 2) in-cab signalling throughout the central Thameslink network.
Our Rai li gen t platform allows us to look at lots of different systems and con textual data at the same time. Kevin Clark, HS2 Service Bid Manager, Siemens
Meanwhile, the train’s intelligent software design provides fully automatic climate control and a passenger information system that displays real-time main line and London Underground travel information, plus individual carriage loadings.
Diagnostic data is also constantly gathered and then transmitted from the train to Siemens’ service centre, enabling preventative action to be taken if required – and a new regime of predictive maintenance to operate at Thameslink’s two depots at Three Bridges and Hornsey.
“To me, intelligent rail is really all about turning data into action,” explains Kevin Clark, HS2 Service Bid Manager.
“We already have lots of data and more and more of it is being generated with every evolution of the train, so the crucial point is in our ability to bring that disparate information together into a single environment so that more informed decisions can be made and appropriate action taken.
“If we think about the last 20 to 30 years, components and systems on trains have become more intelligent but have largely been limited to talking to neighbouring equipment. We can now bring that all together in order to help clients make the right decisions, and to get whole-life value from their assets.”
According to Clark, the benefits to operators of procuring ‘smart’ trains like the Class 700 are manifold in terms of increasing fleet reliability and availability, while also reducing the cost of ownership.
For example, diagnostic data recorded and transmitted by GTR’s fleet of Class 700s has enabled Siemens technicians to increasingly operate in a paperless environment at the depots, where they are equipped with handheld devices rather than the toolkits of old.
This facility allows them to view relevant performance data, technical information, and view 3D task instructions to quickly identify and remedy any reported faults.
With more than 20 million miles of service accrued since the first train entered service in June 2016, the Class 700 fleet is progressing through its reliability growth phase. already delivering improved reliability over its predecessor with ambitions to take this much further.
In order to achieve this, faults and items for improvement are logged and then stored in a database if they have occurred before. They then enter a ‘performance pipeline’ in which remedial action is taken either through hardware or software modification.
Clark adds: “This means that the train is in service more because we know when to perform maintenance by getting the right information at the right time. The success of trains like the ‘700’ is underpinned by having lots of systems working together, so we have more information on which to base our decisions.
“The whole-life cost is a major output from intelligent rail, so the better the performance and reliability the more the cost of ownership is reduced.”
To help manage and understand big data, Siemens also offers clients access to its Railigent cloud-based mobile application suite.
Powered by Siemens’ cloud-based Internet of Things operating system MindSphere, Railigent can integrate with various applications and automated measurements which are then analysed and interpreted through a simplified dashboard.
Clark explains: “Our Railigent platform allows us to look at lots of different systems and contextual data at the same time. For example, in the event of an operational incident occurring when passengers are boarding, we can look in real-time at CCTV footage and door motor currents rates in one place.
“That would have previously been done by looking at CCTV footage, GPS and brake data in isolation, so incident investigation now becomes far simpler and quicker. It all reinforces how the interconnectivity of all things is beginning to happen with a much wider overall benefit.”
Looking ahead, Clark believes that the operational and passenger benefits on offer from intelligent rail solutions will be of particular importance to flagship and technically demanding projects such as HS2.
Five bidders, including Siemens, have been shortlisted by HS2 Ltd to supply at least 54 train sets for Phase 1 of the line between London and Birmingham, which is scheduled to open in 2026.
A design, maintenance and manufacturing contract is to be awarded in spring 2020, with an estimated value of £ 2.75 billion.
The technical specification issued by HS2 Ltd requires the successful bidder to deliver some of the world’s most advanced rolling stock, which can travel at speeds of up to 360kph (250mph).
Clark says that not only will passenger expectations of the new rolling stock be high, but journeys will be required by HS2 Ltd to be seamless, accessible, fast and reliable.
He concludes: “One of the key benefits of intelligent rail is that we as an industry can focus not only on service and operational reliability, but also on how passenger-facing systems are working. We can configure reports on cabin temperatures on Class 700s, for example, and compare that with performance data on the air conditioning system to see if that linkage triggers a set maintenance intervention, such as a fan replacement.
“Intelligent rail also enables dwell time analysis using CCTV-gathered information. The hardware of the train is only designed once, so we can design it to achieve targets in the first instance and then use the data available to refine that and then do what is needed to optimise passenger flows.
“The Phase 2 indicative train service specification is for up to 17 trains per hour to leave Euston. They will travel at 360kph, which is pushing the boundaries of what we’ve delivered before as an industry to date.
“You can design for that level of frequency but you also need to monitor how that is working and must be able to respond to that if high levels of performance are to be delivered.”