4 ms·
This is well out of date (2009), electronically controlled brakes have already proven their worth, at least for our customers [1]. For example one of our custom
by hartror 11y ago
This is well out of date (2009), electronically controlled brakes have already proven their worth, at least for our customers [1]. For example one of our customers, Rio Tinto in Western Australia, deployed ECP which allowed them to reduce headway [2]. Along with driverless trains, operations optimisation software and other innovations allows them run more trains and get more iron ore to port with the same infrastructure.
[1] I am CTO of a railroad operations software startup http://biarrirail.com/ http://biarrirail.com/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headway
- nickpsecurity 11y agoSo what's the failure risk of the new model vs the old model? It seems like the old thing used straightforward physics and mechanics. Whereas the new thing is more complex both in implementation and types of things it relies on. I'm sure they might have insurance that negates this consideration but I still consider human life. ;) Note: It might also be worth considering how many of the braking events are safety-critical.
- hartror 11y agoAgreed, however I have not seen any specifics on that, the headway changes had a direct effect on our software, reliability and maintenance aren't factors for us. Rio Tinto are extremely safety conscious, for example they drug and alcohol test everyone, regardless of role even vendors. They're also operating in the Pilbara region an incredibly harsh desert environment in Western Australia. So I would guess that they wouldn't accept an increase in safety risks and the trade off between risk of break downs, maintenance cost and the throughput of their rail network is positive.