Project Summary
This project will, in collaboration with Freightliner and Network Rail, develop a prototype of a system that evaluates the braking capability and emissions of freight trains in real-time using signal-system data and stores the results. The system will also show the results of currently running trains – as well as those in the past- of any part of the Great British rail network on a web-based dashboard.?Each freight train has a unique weight and a mix of wagons, so its braking capability (and emissions) greatly varies. Traffic control and signal systems use a fixed minimum assumption, thereby forcing freight trains to sometimes run unnecessarily slowly, increasing the number of stops (which leads to more emissions), and losing line capacity. Building on the AI-based technique developed by UCL, the project targets a 4% reduction in the required headway for freight trains, which leads to an increase in the capacity of busy railway lines, thereby promoting modal shift to rail and decarbonisation.
