Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first semi-high-speed regional rail service ‘Namo Bharat’. The Namo Bharat train is an Indian electric multiple unit (EMU) train specially built for the Namo Bharat RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit Services). Also, ETCS Level 3 is making its global debut on the 17-km priority section of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor. An example of an efficient urban transport system that is safer, more reliable and faster is the train that has been renamed from RapidX to Namo Bharat. It was created by Alstom India in collaboration with ETCS at the Hyderabad Engineering Centre, and is manufactured in Savli, Gujarat. More than 300 engineers and designers from Alstom in India have spent thousands of safe man-hours and hundreds of hours conducting tests over the past two years to fulfill their phase one obligations to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
What is ETCS signaling?
It is part of the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) which manages control and signalling. With built-in devices that take over if the speed limit is exceeded and signals from the driver’s cab, the system continuously determines the safe top speed for each train.
The different levels of ETCS are:
Level 0
When an ETCS-equipped vehicle is driven on a route that does not use ETCS, level 0 is applicable. The on-board equipment monitors the maximum speed of the train.
Level 1
Level 1 is a cab signaling system that can be applied over the existing signaling system, keeping the national signaling and track clearance system as a fixed signaling system.
Level 2
Digital radio-based infrastructure supports level 2. The radio block center uses this information received from the track to continuously monitor train movements. Along with speed and route data, the movement authorization is constantly sent to the vehicle via GSM-R or GPRS. The maximum permitted speed and transmitted data are continuously monitored by the trip computer.
Level 3
In ETCS level 3, ETCS implements full radio-based train spacing, which goes beyond simple train protection features. To communicate authorization to move to the train, Level 3 uses radio. It also additionally checks the movement authority based on the integrity and position reported by the train.
[Updated] List of all Vande Bharat Express trains in India
What are the features of ETCS level signaling?
- The European Train Control System or ETCS allows trains to travel across borders with ease by ensuring interoperability across various European rail networks and nations.
- To promote consistency and interoperability, ETCS creates a single set of technical standards and specifications for train control and signaling systems.
- ETCS prioritizes safety to prevent collisions and derailments with its fail-safe design and continuous train monitoring system.
- The ATP capability of ETCS reduces the risk of accidents by enforcing speed limits and automatically braking in case of non-compliance.
- To ensure safe operation at all times, the system continuously changes train speeds based on route conditions.
- ETCS depends on a reliable communication link between the train and the trackside equipment to enable the transfer of vital information in real time.
- ETCS can monitor pantographs and overhead contact systems to ensure proper contact and reduce the possibility of electrical failures.
- It offers information about the condition of trains and tracks, which is useful for predictive maintenance and minimizes downtime.
- ETCS reduces the passage and increases the capacity of the railway network by optimizing the use of track.
- ETCS can be modified to meet evolving standards and requirements and is built to cope with future developments in railway technology.
Eight RRTS corridors are to be developed within the National Capital Region (NCR); three of these corridors — the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor, the Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar corridor and the Delhi-Panipat corridor — have been prioritized for implementation in Phase I. Sarai Kale Khan will become a major transit hub for the three priority RRTS corridors. The 82.15-kilometer RRTS corridor is expected to be fully operational by June 2025.
Vande Bharat Express: What makes India’s high-speed train different from others?
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: newstars.edu.vn