Eurailtest Participates in the UIC High Speed 2018

The next session of UIC High Speed, a major railway congress first staged by the International Union of Railways (UIC) in 1992, is to take place in Ankara (Turkey) from 8 to 11 May 2018. This will afford all major rail sector players the opportunity to come together and discuss the future prospects of the mode.

Following recent cooperation with the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) and further such cooperation in the pipeline, it is therefore only logical that Eurailtest should be in attendance at this key event.

Eurailtest will be represented by the Railway Test Agency (AEF), a member laboratory of the EIG, in the company of SYSTRA, and will be one of the speakers during interactive sessions, addressing the topic of safety management during new high-speed line validation.

Dynamic tests include measurements of the interaction between the test train and the track and overhead contact line and these have to be performed during runs at progressively higher speeds up to the target revenue speed.

For track-vehicle interaction, validation requirements extend to tests at speeds up to 10% higher than the target revenue speed. The conditions under which these overspeed tests are conducted are highly specific, since it is necessary to inhibit the automatic speed controls of the regular signalling system.

To ensure the safety of those on board the train during these runs, the Rolling Stock Engineering Centre (CIM), partner of the Eurailtest EIG, has come up with an innovative solution, which will be exclusively unveiled at the Ankara event. The system, which rejoices in the name of ESVE (Test Speed Monitoring System), is designed to control train speed in relation to a “tailor-made” running programme to maintain train and operating safety throughout the tests.

ESVE has already been put through its paces in type approval tests on France’s two most recent high-speed lines, South Europe Atlantic (SEA) and Brittany – Pays de Loire (BPL), as well as on the Nimes-Montpellier bypass (CNM). ESVE can also be used for rolling stock type approval.

As you can see, Eurailtest’s international expansion is gaining momentum and, in terms of new opportunities, 2018 looks like being a stellar year!