Slides - The Most Significant Developments in the Railway Industry in Recent Years

Through advancement in technology, computing and engineering, we have witnessed unprecedented evolution in the railway industry during the past 20 years, in particular in the area of railway asset condition monitoring. This webinar will present the story for each of the following most significant developments in the railway industry in recent years From DC to AC traction drives Railway Signaling and Train Control Systems, extensive use of Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) systems for metros and European Train Control Systems (ETCS) for mainline railways. There has also been a significant trend of adopting Unattended Train Operation (UTO) mode for metros Train Control and Management System (TCMS) to improve the performance and reliability of trains Shift of suppliers from custom designed trains to standard product platforms for metro trains to reduce cost and production lead time Extensive use of regeneration and energy storage devices to significantly improve energy efficiency The story will cover the origin, drivers, facilitators, challenges and status of each of the most significant developments. Examples will be drawn from major equipment suppliers, railway operators and maintainers, railway projects and the passengers. It will also present a smart sensor based system for monitoring of mission critical components of the railway which has been deployed in MTR Hong Kong and SMRT Singapore in recent years. Dr. KK Lee, Professor of Transportation Practice in Hong Kong Polytechnic University, who has been with the railway industry for 50+ years, presents the webinar.