como
Complete mobility – Facts, Trends, Stories
Issue 09 | September 2012 | www.siemens.com/mobility
S
Track to the future
Rail transport and its role in
tomorrow’s world
2
welcome
como 09 | September 2012
Dear reader,
“
I am firmly convinced that rail has a future. Why? Because in a great number
of cases, the particular attributes of rail make it the most desirable mode of
transport.
In recent, car-dominated decades there has been a lot of discussion about
the value of rail transport and its role in tomorrow’s world. Lately, the rail
industry has experienced a new upturn. Formerly decommissioned tram lines
are being revived, new railway lines built – and all this for good reason.
Mobility is undoubtedly one of the top drivers of growth in our society. However, resources are becoming scarcer and oil, the fuel that has determined our
progress in mobility for almost a hundred years, is taking on the role of a preciously traded commodity. This makes electromobility, whenever it is obtained from
renewable resources, a practical way to break out of our dependence on fossil fuels.
Of course, even electric cars do nothing to change the fundamental problem of clogged roads and city centers filled with parked cars. Rail vehicles, on
the other hand, from trams and metros to highspeed trains, possess all the qualities required to
get people and goods from A to B safely and economically without damaging the environment.
Rail vehicles and control systems have attained
an extremely high degree of reliability. The highspeed train Velaro demonstrates this on a daily
basis by maintaining its availability of almost one
Mobility in and between
hundred percent. Further confirmation is provided by the Desiro UK’s numerous awards, includcities is one of the biggest
ing the Golden Spanner for the most reliable
challenges of the future.
regional multi-unit train in the UK. Equally crucial to rail’s success, however, are intelligent IT
solutions such as convenient eTicketing, which
make it particularly easy for passengers to switch
from their cars to the tram and metro networks.
This issue of como, which has been published
to coincide with the international transport trade
fair InnoTrans in September, covers all these topics and more. Bearing in mind that over half the
world’s population currently lives in urban areas and that this trend is set to
continue, Siemens will make use of this exhibition to present “Products and
Solutions for Mobility in and between Cities.” The title very accurately
describes the goal we have set ourselves: to attain Complete mobility for this
generation and those to come.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Ansgar Brockmeyer
Head of High Speed and Commuter Rail
Rail Systems Division
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contents
3
contents
08
horizon
4
Setting the course
Is rail transport really fit for the future? Yes, in principle, says Professor Arnd Stephan in this interview.
But only if its efficiency and appeal can be increased.
10 Automatically more intelligent
More rail transport requires more railway lines –
or simply more intelligent technology.
18
focus
12 Always on the go
How is it that some trains are constantly out on
the track? Because reliability is something you
can control.
18 Metallostroy
When trains are as reliable as the Velaro RUS,
there’s often a good reason: high-tech maintenance.
28 A metro for the tropics
Santo Domingo has a traffic problem.
A state-of-the-art subway provides assistance.
36
move
34
‫ ש“ח‬7 :‫ המחיר בנתיב‬.‫עומס מגנות‬
Toll, traffic jam or shuttle bus? Now drivers
using a highway outside Tel Aviv can decide
for themselves.
connect
36 Smarter travel
Simply hop on and hop off – wouldn’t that be
convenient? A universal eTicketing platform
makes it happen.
4
horizon
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Convenient trams or
noisy goods trains, a
model for the future or
a financial black hole –
public opinions of rail
travel are often mixed.
But how could tomorrow’s
mobility look in reality? Are
trains really viable for the
future? What challenges do
manufacturers and operators
face? These and other issues are
addressed in the following interview with Arnd Stephan, professor
for electric railways at the Institute
for Rail Vehicles and Railway Technology at the Friedrich List Faculty
of Transport Science, Dresden University of Technology.
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horizon
5
Setting the course
como: Professor Stephan, let’s take a look into
the crystal ball. What does the future hold for
rail transport?
Professor Arnd Stephan: If we’re talking about
the future viability of the railway in general, we
first have to take a look at the current state of
affairs. From around the 1990s certain framework
conditions have developed in a way that fundamentally affects the current transport situation. For
instance, other modes of transport such as road
and air are increasingly coming up against their
capacity limits, especially at peak times. We are seeing greater investment in railways worldwide and
in measures to speed up rail travel through automation. Newly procured vehicles are also being
equipped with significantly improved or entirely
new technology. And in goods transport, global
trade is making ever-greater use of container sys-
“
tems. All of this comes under the heading of globalization. To tackle these challenges, the rail system
can bring major benefits in three segments: The
first is high-speed goods transport as part of a
logistics chain – not to a company’s door, but
cross-country transport over long distances. The
second segment is attractive, high-speed passenger
travel – on separate lines where possible, which is a
trend we are seeing primarily in Asia. The third
segment is high-speed urban rail. Railways offer
advantages in all these areas, and this is where
future prospects lie.
Can you give some examples?
Globalization is bringing about an increase in flows
of goods and raw materials on a global rather than a
local scale, and the benefits of railways really come
into play on long overland routes. Shifting longduration or long-distance transport onto rail-bound systems is
logical and makes economic sense
because road transport is too
expensive and river transport is
too slow for these purposes. This is
why in Asia, the Middle East and,
going forward, in South America
new railways may be built specifically for goods transport.
Of course we need good products as
well. But the great challenges for a
future-proof rail service relate to organization and information technology:
operation, logistics, quality of service.
Isn’t there quite a similar situation when it comes to passenger travel?
Absolutely. One very important
factor here, in my view, is that settlement patterns
are currently undergoing huge changes. People
are moving to cities and deserting rural areas. This
trend necessitates trans-regional transport markets as well as fast point-to-point connections
between urban centers large distances apart.
International competition in the rail sector is
increasing, certainly in the construction of networks and, these days, even between operators.
It’s an extremely dynamic market.
Urban and regional transport are also developing at quite a pace...
Yes, but in this case it’s the major agglomerations
and megacities that have to opt for mass-transit
6
horizon
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“
Access and handling for passengers
has to be made as easy as possible.
solutions. For me this is the crucial point. Cities
only have a limited amount of urban space available for transport purposes, especially when it
comes to stationary vehicles. We see this issue
every day: at peak transport times in particular,
almost all trains are moving while nearly all cars
are at a standstill. Most cars take up space simply
due to their existence, because they spend 90 percent of their lifetimes parked rather than being
driven. This is the key argument, especially for
agglomerations: with more trains we can make better use of the space available for transport.
So in that case the hot topic of electromobility,
which generally relates to electric cars, would
be the wrong solution?
Electromobility on the road does not provide an
answer to this very problem of transport space.
At the moment there is an environmental policy
aspect to the issue of electromobility, but on closer inspection the intention is misplaced, as the
way the energy is generated and converted today
is simply not efficient enough. However, the international trend reveals that wherever the challenges we talked about earlier come together – highspeed goods transport, faster passenger travel
and reliable urban transport – new rail projects
are being initiated.
We are experiencing a global boom in urban
railways, with new projects being launched on
almost a monthly basis.
Yes, although this is a reaction to existing problems rather than an attempt to improve the development structure and use of space in cities based
on the challenges of the future. The development
of rail projects is playing catch-up with population
trends. However, it is also possible to drive settlement trends using rail systems that consistently
improve the use of space. For instance, in the Netherlands railway lines are deliberately set up in certain areas to promote settlement. Of course, this is
a task for policy-makers.
Haven’t new intercity lines driven spatial development ever since the infancy of the railway?
This was the case in the 19th century, and the principle applies both to intercity transport and, to an
even greater extent, urban transport. Tram systems
have enabled a kind of urban mobility that never
existed before.
The issue of energy is always very prominent in
the general debate on transport.
That’s because everyone has something to say about
energy. For me though, the real benefits lie in spatial development, with the positive side effect that
rail transport is also energy efficient when it is done
well. Trains therefore have to act as catalysts in the
shift toward these renewable energy scenarios, and
in my view Deutsche Bahn has set itself the right target: to gear its participation in renewable energies
toward total green energy operation by 2050. One
often-overlooked energy benefit – although this is
not crucial to the future development of rail – is that
the drive unit is not the only energy-efficient component of an electric train. A moving train as a whole
is also a large mechanical store of energy that can
feed electricity back into the grid when braking.
The general debate focuses more on cutting
down on fossil fuels. Is this why the topic of
e-mobility is so fixated on road vehicles?
It’s not so much a question of the dwindling oil supply – the critical thing is the rising cost. New reserves
can always be found somewhere, even if they have to
be extracted from shale. But the rising cost of extraction, which is already in evidence, will restrict the
use of fossil energy to high-cost services such as air
and sea transport. However, I believe wherever we
can obtain electrical energy from alternative sources,
the prospects for rail transport are very good.
Does this apply in all circumstances?
Well, there has to be political support and the rail
system has to deliver in terms of performance. But
it’s not so much the technology that makes rail
transport so attractive; it’s more a matter of logistics. Let’s go back to the increasing use of container
systems for global trade. Loading a couple thousand containers from a ship onto goods trains and
transporting them 400 kilometers further is more
effective in every respect than doing the same
thing with hundreds of trucks. I can’t immediately
think of an attractive solution for problems such as
piece goods transport, but for quick container journeys from A to B the rail system is ideal.
This sounds like a Complete mobility scenario
in which the goods train is allocated a very specific role ...
I’m absolutely in favor of that. Integration into the
system as a whole is key – regardless of whether pas-
como 09 | September 2012
sengers or goods are being transported. When a Chinese high-speed train, for example, can cover the
thousand kilometers between Wuhan and Guangzhou in three hours, nothing can compete with that.
Does this make trains competitive in every
regard?
Well, in Germany – due to the settlement structure
– an InterCity Express train has to stop every
30 kilometers, which makes it relatively difficult to
compete. But other factors such as access to information and interfaces play an important role too.
I have to make access and handling for passengers
as easy as possible in order to take full advantage
of the technical and logistical benefits.
So you’re saying it’s essential to reorganize
the existing infrastructure, the train stations and the intermodal transport hubs?
This reorganization is already in progress
and must be driven forward in the future to
optimize the connections between the various forms of transport. At airports that
already have strong rail links a very large
proportion of passengers choose the train
over their cars. That’s why we have to
focus on the questions: Which other
transport systems do I want to use to collect passengers? And how do I make
access as easy as possible with no additional hurdles?
So along with improving infrastructure and buildings, that also means
removing organizational hurdles.
Are tariff models, timetables and
ticket sales still too complicated?
Certainly. Today, when you’re standing in front of a ticket machine in
an unknown city and you first have
to get to grips with different tariff
zones, that’s a huge hindrance to
access. That’s the point where
people decide to hop in a taxi
instead. You shouldn’t have to
study a system first before
using it. Those people who are
familiar with the system normally have monthly passes
anyway, so they’re not the
ones I’m trying to win over.
With
more
trains we
can make
better use of
the space
available for
transport.
horizon
7
8
horizon
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You mean the issue has less to do with the railway itself and more with information and communication?
The internet and smartphones, for instance, have
injected new life into the market, as they allow
solutions to be offered on the market as an IT service. So I’m optimistic in this regard – so long as
the physical interfaces of multimodal transport
function properly. The operators just have to look
beyond their own systems. This complete mobility
approach can’t just be a buzzword, it has to be put
into practice. For example, when I take the train
from Dresden toward Berlin, the bicycle wagon is
generally full. People are willing and able to travel
to Hamburg or Sylt with their bicycle in tow. These
are mini successes that we can use to interconnect
the various mobility scenarios.
We must
continue to
think about
investing in
intelligence
rather than in
concrete and
steel.
This immediately raises the question of available capacities.
Unfortunately, a railway line currently provides a
smaller capacity than a six-lane highway. Physical
conditions mean that there has to be a certain distance between trains, so there is no room for
additional vehicles on the same line. The road
simply allows for a greater capacity per kilometer, although this is only attained with distributed intelligence and more personnel,
that is, an individual driver in each car. So
if labor utilization is not taken into
account, road traffic offers a higher
throughput than the railway with its
large braking distances.
And what can be done to cut the
braking distances?
The low-friction contact between the steel wheel and
the rail has very advantageous energy characteristics when the train is
moving, but the reverse
is true for braking. Not
a great deal can be
done about this.
The only way we
can make braking
dis tances shorter using technology is by
making the
wheel-r a i l
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braking system more advanced, for instance by
using eddy current brakes instead of mechanical
brakes. We must continue to think about investing
in intelligence rather than in concrete and steel. By
using intelligent control technology such as ETCS,
standardized route profiles and predictive operations control, we can greatly increase the capacity
of train routes. In this way the railway can perform
better and actually match the transport throughput
of a road. Research in this field focuses primarily
on the organization of operations, supported by
intelligence and telematics.
We have known about the linking of vehicles on
the highway, the so-called electronic tow bar,
for years. Could this give roads the edge over
railways again?
This technology can improve safety, but it’s certainly not economical. Electronic linking on long
stretches of highway doesn’t free us from disconnecting at the end of the electronic stretch – and at
this point the truck requires a driver again. The
personnel requirement remains the same while
technical complexity rises. Of course, the idea is
technically feasible. We can also link railway wagons electronically if they are equipped with their
own drive unit and control technology. But no one
could afford this.
Let’s talk briefly about the social and political
acceptance of railways. The difference in various parts of the world is clear to see...
I do subscribe to the view that acceptance varies in
different parts of the world. However, I don’t believe
the railway is less highly regarded in developed
countries, for example. Even in the United States,
where 60 percent of long-distance goods transport
is carried out by rail, the railway isn’t subject to any
fundamental political disadvantage. Certainly, we
could wish for greater acceptance in Germany. Yet
this is also due to the fact that other economic sectors currently contribute more in terms of value
creation than the railway industry. In Switzerland
the railway is firmly anchored in the conscience of
the Swiss people because the country has been so
well connected historically. Swiss trains offer an
excellent transport service in a relatively confined
area, and this is supported by clear tariff structures
and information – the Swiss have always been
strong in this area. In China too, the railway has
always transported great volumes. This means it is
thoroughly integrated into the logistics chain and
takes care of transport over large distances. The
lines are being extended; high-speed and slower
journeys are being separated from one another.
Naturally this costs a lot of money, but it’s not a case
of political preference – it’s part of a long-term economic strategy. How do we want to manage the
national economy in the long term? How can we cultivate the country’s transport networks in order
to raise our economic output? Political support is
necessary because the majority of the investment
ultimately comes from the national budget.
The social acceptance of rail mobility seems to
be on the rise in Germany too.
Passenger statistics from the first half of 2012
reveal a fantastic increase. This is surely related to
political and economic conditions such as the oil
price trend, but in my view the increasingly attractive service has played a role as well. Rail service is
actually much better than its reputation would suggest. I often travel by train because I can use the
journey to prepare for meetings and presentations
in peace. There’s no other form of transport like
that. Often those who speak badly of rail service are
those who rarely or never use it.
Professor Stephan, thank you very much.
Professor Arnd Stephan studied electrical engineering/electric railways at the Friedrich List
Faculty of Transportation and Traffic Sciences
in Dresden, gaining his diploma in 1990 and
his doctorate in 1995. He began working as an
assistant lecturer at the same faculty of Dresden University of Technology, and in 2002 he
was appointed honorary professor for unconventional electric transport systems. Since
2008 he has been a professor of electric railways at Dresden University of Technology.
From 1993 to 2008 Professor Stephan also
worked for the Institute for Railway Technology
(IFB) in Dresden, from 2003 as the general manager. In addition, since 2004 he has been the
managing director of the Center of Excellence
for High Performance Railways and Maglev
Systems at Dresden University of Technology.
horizon
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10
horizon
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Automatically more intelli
Urban and interurban rail transport
are growing all the time, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for
rail network capacities. Nevertheless,
there are alternatives: intelligent IT
solutions can be used to get the best
out of existing rail capacities, reduce
vehicle maintenance times, and
make railways even more appealing
to operators and passengers.
T
here is no doubt that mobility determines
the competitiveness of cities and regions,
and by extension the quality of life. Although
electric trains are generally among the top modes
of transport in performance terms, in many
places the transport infrastructure is coming up
against its capacity limits. That’s why Siemens is
developing new technologies and IT-based solutions that can help make better use of the available capacities.
One alternative to the lengthy and expensive
process of expanding infrastructure, for instance,
is to use more intelligent operations control systems to increase the throughput of a railway line.
“Classic operations control systems plan, control
and monitor simple or more complex rail systems,” says Dr. Maximilian Eichhorn, head of the
global rail IT business at Siemens. “The functionality of interactive, modular systems, on the oth-
“
A well-planned
operations control system adds
a lot of value.
Dr. Maximilian Eichhorn
er hand, is broader and can be easily tailored to
different requirements. Plus, since Siemens has
over 130 years of experience with rail technology,
our engineers know precisely which approaches
are likely to lead to the best solutions.”
An integrated fleet and crew management system, for example, offers the ideal set of tools not
only for the fleet operator but also for the
employees. It provides information on the maintenance dates, kilometers traveled and vehicle
loads, the correct schedule, and what tasks will
be assigned to the crew if a train is out of operation. Other system modules report on the status
of structures peripheral to rail operations, such
as the energy supply and display systems in train
stations, and these systems can be complemented with communications solutions.
Interactive operations control systems make
operators’ lives easier by automatically completing routine tasks, helping to draw up optimized
schedules for better capacity utilization, and
offering assistance with train conflicts and deviations from the schedule. “Every change has more
or less extensive consequences on the rest of the
network,” explains Eichhorn. “If a train departs
late from a certain station, all the trains before
and after it are affected, as are trains that are
meant to make a connection at points where the
lines cross.”
Semi-automatic systems offer the head of
operations suggested courses of action from a
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gent
library of predefined scenarios. By contrast,
dynamic systems are designed to calculate possible solutions and their economic and logistical
consequences based on the actual case at hand.
Eichhorn: “The goal is to identify optimized solutions on the basis of the most up-to-date information and to make the manager’s decision as
easy as possible.”
The BHP Billiton Iron Ore railway, which connects numerous mines in Western Australia with
Port Hedland, provides an example of how much
value can be added with the help of a wellplanned operations control system. A significant
portion of the route, which has a total length of
almost 2,000 kilometers, has single-track sections. This means the ore trains, over 200 wagons in length, cannot pass each other at all points
on the line. The system automatically looks after
the line occupancy – taking into account the load
processes at the mines and the occupancy of the
port. It also organizes the coupling and decoupling of the trains, which are located using GPS
data, manages the vehicle fleet and even more –
all in all it constitutes a complete, integrated supply chain system. Eichhorn: “For each additional
train that smoothly negotiates the route and
arrives at the port on time, the operator can enter
another whole iron ore load into the books.”
IT solutions can also ensure greater efficiency
and profitability when it comes to vehicle maintenance. Predictive maintenance, which is part of
the Siemens service range and is described in
detail in como 07/2011, can naturally only function in combination with extremely high-performance IT and communications systems. On the
Russian high-speed train Velaro RUS, for example, detectors and sensors continuously monitor
important components during operation and
report irregularities to a central system. This
allows necessary maintenance measures to be
carried out before any damage occurs. The system orders any spare parts required and systematically guides the service engineer through the
work. The result in this case is that the targeted
use of intelligent IT systems prevents unexpected
failures, ensures vehicle capacities are used to
the fullest, reduces life-cycle costs, and allows
the trains to maintain close to one hundred percent availability.
Operating security can also be improved significantly – even at a later date, as demonstrated
by the Victoria Line of the London Underground,
opened between 1968 and 1971. A few years ago
Siemens equipped this subway line with an integrated management system for the 22.5-kilometer route, its 16 stations and the entrance areas
outside. The Management Performance Information Service (MPIS) system in the central control
room displays capacity utilization and performance data from the route, the stations and the
vehicles. It manages the emergency telephones
in the tunnels and the reporting of faults, provides system diagnoses and helps to detect errors
by analyzing the constantly growing database of
possible sources of error. Cameras also enable
the system to detect when access from the outside areas is being hindered, for instance due to
an event or heavy traffic.
Passengers can also benefit greatly from a
dynamic information system. Using vehicle data
and schedules, it generates information about
the current train service, including arrival times
and updated schedules. What’s more, numerous
communications subsystems are linked together
and controlled as a coherent network. The goal
here is to automatically provide real-time information via loudspeaker systems, information
displays and info terminals, and also via Internet
sites and mobile devices. Eichhorn: “If a train
customer wants to change onto the bus network,
a cell-phone message shows in plenty of time if
the selected bus is late, if the delay is caused by a
traffic jam, and if the subway would be the better
choice, despite the longer route.”
All things considered, IT solutions like these do
more than facilitate operating procedures and
make better use of available capacities: they direct
streams of people, optimize the flow of passengers,
and heighten the appeal of the railway.
horizon
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focus
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focus
13
Always on the go
It takes tough, everyday use for technology
to prove how dependable it really is –
and the same goes for trams, metros and
high-speed trains. Day for day, they have
to get passengers to their destinations
quickly and on time, whatever the
weather. And they have to operate
economically over the entire life cycle.
One thing is clear: if rail is to maintain
its standing in the mobility mix,
it has to deliver performance. Only
railway vehicles with close to one
hundred percent availability can
make the grade. That’s why
Siemens depends on robust
and proven technologies,
intelligent planning and
optimized maintenance.
14
focus
“
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High-speed trains such as the Velaro have a second
set of all essential components on board.
R
eliability and availability are always in the spotlight, especially for vehicle engineers. There are
diverse ways of influencing these attributes
using technology, ranging from intelligent vehicle
design and the choice of reliable components to
replacement parts management after decades of
operation. But how to reach the very maximum
degree of reliability? What strategies do the Siemens
engineers employ to make trains and trams available almost one hundred percent of the time?
Certain points are immediately apparent: Robust
and proven technologies play their part in increasing operating safety and reducing the risk of malfunction. Wear-free and wear-resistant systems can
also be relied upon to function safely with very little maintenance. Redundancy, whereby one of several installed systems can take over the affected
function in case of a fault, is another proven strategy to improve reliability. For instance, high-speed
trains such as the Velaro have a second set of all
essential components on board, including pantographs, energy supply systems and sensors. Systems with a safety function, such as the monitoring
of the bogie, are not simply doubled up – they have
different versions installed simultaneously.
The principle of distributed traction, which
Siemens employs in its entire vehicle range from the
Avenio tram to the Velaro high-speed train, extends
this redundancy strategy to the drive unit. These
multiple-unit trains are not pulled or pushed along
by locomotives; instead, they are driven by motorized
bogies located along the entire length of the train.
These all work independently: even if one traction unit
should fail, the others will continue to work at full
capacity and get the train to its destination on time.
Platform concept: variation with proven
components
There are several reasons why it helps to build
entire product families upon a systematically
developed platform – a common technical foundation for various models. This kind of modular platform allows components or customer-specific features to be easily combined with one another. The
pros are clear: Wherever the same components are
used for different vehicle models, development
costs fall. Furthermore, any subsequent optimizations and product developments will, ideally,
benefit the entire product family and improve the
availability of all vehicles.
For example, the new metro platform Inspiro –
the first trains will be delivered to Warsaw at the
end of 2012 – makes use of numerous components
that have already proven their top performance in
similar configurations. The undercarriage and
drive units are based on those in the metros in Oslo
and Nuremberg, which have been in successful
operation for years. The platform concept also
allows numerous modules, from the motors to the
interior design, to be altered or exchanged in
future contracts. For example, the new subway
train for Munich will feature technology built upon
the Inspiro platform, but the front end and interior
are being designed by the Munich design specialist
Optimized: the front hatch of the new Velaro D
was given a simple, robust mechanism.
15
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“
With a platform concept, any optimizations
benefit the entire product family.
Neumeister + Partner. This means that unique and
extremely reliable vehicles are being created using
a combination of innovation and tried-and-tested
components.
The same applies to the low-floor tram Avenio.
This platform for urban mobility came about
through the consistent development of the Combino
Plus vehicle series that was successfully deployed in
Budapest and Almada, Portugal. By taking detailed
measurements of over 20 different tram networks
with diverse characteristics and impacts on the vehicles, Siemens was able to gain detailed knowledge of
how low-floor vehicles have to be conceived and
designed in order to work reliably. The result of this
research is the Avenio platform, which will make its
grand debut in The Hague in spring 2014.
Velaro RUS: new ways to cool drive units
The components selected for the new metro platform Inspiro
(above) and the tram platform Avenio have already proven their
top performance in similar set-ups.
The high-speed train Velaro – which has models tailored to the requirements of Spain, Russia and China and will soon strengthen Deutsche Bahn’s ICE
fleet with the Velaro D (see como 08/2012, page 34)
– provides further evidence of how well an intelligent platform concept can work. The Velaro RUS, for
instance, was modified for deployment on the highspeed route between Moscow and St. Petersburg so
that it would remain fully functional at 40°C in the
summer and –40°C in the winter. Safety-relevant
components even work flawlessly at up to –50°C.
The modifications included making the outer paint,
insulation and cable connections frost-resistant and
winter-proof. After all, the length of every wagon
changes by over three centimeters within this temperature range – hardly any high-speed trains have
to cope with such harsh climatic conditions.
The Siemens engineers also developed a concept
to safely ventilate the passenger compartments
and the drive units located on the underside of the
train. Whereas the Chinese Velaro CN and the Spanish Velaro E, which runs between Madrid and Barcelona, always draw in cold air from underneath,
the Velaro RUS does so only in the summer. In the
winter the cold air is conducted from the roof area
to the floor pans via air ducts. This prevents drift
snow underneath the train from blocking the cooling system’s air intake, which could cause the drive
unit to overheat. Only the unpowered cars of a
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focus
Rain, ice, snow storm: Siemens tests the regional train Desiro RUS for Russian Railways (RZD) at temperatures
of -40°C to +45°C in the Climatic Wind Tunnel. Sensors inside the train monitor the heating and air conditioning; humidifiers and heating mats on the seats simulate passengers.
Velaro RUS – those without powered bogies – draw
their cooling air directly into the floor pan. The
room they save by not having interior air ducts is
used for additional seating.
Obviously, each new vehicle model – including
of course the Desiro RUS – is put through its paces.
One of the testing locations is the Climatic Wind
Tunnel of Rail Tec Arsenal (RTA) in Vienna, a company partly owned by Siemens. This unique climate
laboratory can perfectly simulate extreme weather
conditions: Heavy snowstorms with the finest
snowflakes or cloggy wet snow can be conjured up
at the touch of a button. Afterwards, artificial suns
warm the train up and the RTA technicians examine its defrosting characteristics. All the train’s
functions, from the air conditioning and the pantographs to the door mechanisms, must continue to
work flawlessly under such conditions. This is why,
to attain a particularly high degree of reliability,
Siemens tends to go well beyond the usual demands
of train customers in its testing.
Reliability begins in the virtual realm
Efforts to ensure the reliability and technical stability of the trains actually begin much earlier.
The process of designing a vehicle on a computer,
for instance, takes place in a three-dimensional
environment.
Continued on page 24
17
Employees can access and confirm the work
steps using touch-screens.
The screens in the operating headquarters provide
information on the status of maintenance work.
Reliable technology and
intelligent service keep the
Velaro in top condition.
Sensors detect the performance of the brakes
and other crucial parts while the train is moving.
Replacement parts for any work due are ready
and waiting when the train arrives at the depot.
como 09 | September 2012
focus
23
Металлострой
In Metallostroy, near St. Petersburg, is a maintenance depot of the
Russian railway company RZD. This is where the Velaro RUS, the
high-speed train from Siemens, is serviced for the high-speed connection between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Noteworthy about this depot is that it is equipped with some
of the industry’s most cutting-edge technology. Here the vehicles
are serviced overnight in just a few hours, so the next morning
they are ready to go back into operation. This is made possible by
predicitve maintenance, which involves train diagnostic systems
monitoring the status of numerous components in real time
while the train completes its regular journeys. Sensors on the
It takes just a few hours to service the
250-meter-long high-tech trains.
bogies provide information on the operating status and level of
wear; other sensors detect the braking behavior, drive dynamics
and air-conditioning functions. The data, which are transmitted
to the depot during the journey along with any error reports,
form the basis of precise maintenance and part replacement
instructions. When the train arrives in Metallostroy, the service
technicians and parts are ready and waiting – downtime is thus
kept to a minimum.
Since 2009 this process has ensured that RZD does not even
require one reserve train for the Moscow–St. Petersburg line. The
Velaro is available one hundred percent of the time.
Always available: the trains are back out on
the track by the next morning.
Sapsan
The Metallostroy maintenance depot of the Russian railway company RZD is one of
the most cutting-edge service depots worldwide. This is where the high-speed train
Velaro RUS, developed by Siemens, is serviced. Diagnostic systems collect important performance data during regular operation and send it to the service center.
When the high-tech trains arrive at the depot in the evening, precise schedules of
any necessary work have already been drawn up. The technicians get to work on
the trains overnight, and by the next morning they are ready to roll.
Sapsan
The Metallostroy maintenance depot of the Russian railway company RZD is one of
the most cutting-edge service depots worldwide. This is where the high-speed train
Velaro RUS, developed by Siemens, is serviced. Diagnostic systems collect important performance data during regular operation and send it to the service center.
When the high-tech trains arrive at the depot in the evening, precise schedules of
any necessary work have already been drawn up. The technicians get to work on
the trains overnight, and by the next morning they are ready to roll.
24
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como 09 | September 2012
Optimizing in 3-D: even potential maintenance problems can be detected at an early stage in the virtual world.
Continued from page 17
The Siemens engineers model the individual
components right down to the last bolt within a virtual world, and most of the suppliers also make the
components they develop available as 3-D data. Not
only does this save time and money, it also makes
the entire process far less prone to errors. In the
virtual environment the development models are
displayed to scale on a 3-D projection screen. This
allows the engineers to try out different optimization options, pinpoint interface problems, and
eliminate any faults that might only be identified
much later in the real world. The vehicle designers
can even assess the ease of maintaining components at this early stage.
Of course, not every event that can occur in a
vehicle’s lifetime can be predicted. That is why
modern trains are equipped with extensive diagnostic and sensor systems to monitor the status of
individual components. One goal is to optimize
vehicle maintenance so that components are
exchanged at precisely the right time – not too
early, as is often the case with fixed maintenance
intervals, but also not too late, when the component has already malfunctioned. Another goal of
predictive maintenance is to make sure a train
fleet has an extremely high level of availability
while keeping maintenance times flexible (see
como 07/2011, page 32).
como 09 | September 2012
“
In practice, the
Velaro E and Velaro
RUS maintain
over 99 percent
availability.
is recorded and evaluated. In this way, the CMMS
has a constantly growing vault of information;
failure forecasts become more and more precise
and the engineers gain new insights into how the
reliability of the trains can be improved even further. Already today, the level of reliability is
pleasing: for the high-speed trains Velaro E in
Spain and Velaro RUS in Russia, Siemens guarantees 98 percent availability – though in reality
the values are actually over 99 percent.
Obsolescence management: ensuring
trains can survive
Take the Velaro RUS, for example. Its diagnostic
systems monitor the status of the wheel sets, and
permanently monitor drive components, brakes,
door controls and air-conditioning systems. The
data is transmitted to the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), which uses
previously collected comparison data to assess
when and how the observed effect is likely to lead
to a component malfunction. This means the service technicians can keep a very close eye on certain areas where problems are likely to arise and
intervene at the right moment.
Siemens also uses the CMMS to systematically
learn from any failures that do occur. Every case
Intelligently designed and maintained rail vehicles
can stay in service for 30 years or more without any
notable malfunctions. But what happens if, after
several decades, an important component gives up
the ghost and is no longer available in its original
form – a special sensor, for example, or a computer
board with a processor from an earlier generation?
After all, especially in the case of electronics the
innovation cycles of parts, components and systems are getting shorter all the time, and without
suitable spare parts the vehicles may have to be
decommissioned.
In fact, there are ways to effectively cope with
the obsolescence of parts. First of all, long-term
contracts and strategic partnerships with suppliers
ensure that the components will remain available
up to the end of the vehicle life cycle. If a certain
manufacturer nevertheless stops production before
this period has passed, a replacement has to be
found quickly. It helps here if the vehicles were
designed with an eye to the future, for instance by
having open interfaces that allow for the use of other components. Platform solutions with many standardized components also contribute to the aim of
always having a sufficient number of appropriate
spare parts on hand.
focus
25
26
focus
como 09 | September 2012
Above: The 12 trains of the Kuala Lumpur
International Airport Ekspres in the Malaysian
capital are hardly ever out of service.
Top: The Skytrain in Bangkok, built and maintained
by Siemens, has almost one
hundred percent availability.
Center: The Desiro UK
received the Golden Spanner as the UK’s most reliable train in 2010 and 2012.
Right: Siemens set up
modern maintenance
depots in the UK especially
for the Desiro UK.
como 09 | September 2012
Reliable mobility for megacities
The mass transit systems planned, built and maintained by Siemens in all corners of the world provide one example of how well this can function in
practice. In the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, for
instance, a Siemens Express Rail Link with a total of
twelve trains has connected Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) with the central railway station since 2002. Eight trains of the KLIA Ekspres
provide a direct service along the 57-kilometerlong route at speeds of up to 160 km/h; four KLIA
Transit trains serve three other stations on the line
– with virtually no interruptions to service.
In Thailand’s capital Bangkok the elevated railway Skytrain, which passes over Bangkok’s business district at a height of 18 meters, was commissioned back in 1999. Siemens handed over the
system ready for use and took on responsibility to
maintain it for five years initially, then a further
ten years. For the operator BTS, the reliability of
the light rail system was the primary reason to
extend this contract: all contractual requirements
had been surpassed by a long way, with the system’s reliability level constantly between 99 and
100 percent.
The same can be expected of the Airport Rail
Link that went into operation in August 2010 (see
como 03/2009, page 18). The four-unit air-conditioned trains of the Airport Express Line provide
direct service between the airport and the City Airport Terminal, while three-unit Airport City Line
trains stop at eight stations on their way into the
city center and offer numerous connections to
metro, bus and Skytrain lines. It seems a safe bet
that these trains will also become a prime example
of reliability over their service lives, as they are
based on the Desiro UK vehicle platform, which
has a widely recognized reliability record.
Desiro UK – built-in dependability
The Desiro family in the UK has a history of excellent reliability, and several awards are testament to
this achievement. For example, the Siemens Desiro
UK Class 444 received the coveted Golden Spanner
focus
2010 from the international trade magazine Modern
Railways. The previous year the South West Trains
fleet set a new reliability record with almost
89,000 kilometers without a technical fault, which
made the trains, built and maintained by Siemens,
officially the most reliable in the UK. In 2012 the
Desiro UK Class 350/2 was awarded the Golden
Spanner as the most reliable regional multiple-unit
train. In one month the fleet completed over
615,000 kilometers without a technical fault, setting a new British record for a passenger train.
The latest addition to this proven platform, the
Desiro City for urban and inter-urban transport,
has followed in this rich vein of success by making
a number of additional technical improvements.
The Siemens engineers discovered that if the wheel
bearings of the newly dimensioned bogies are
installed facing inward, the track will be subject to
less wear, the axles will require less maintenance,
and in all likelihood reliability will be increased.
“
In one month more than
615,000 kilometers without
a technical fault – a new
British record for passenger trains.
27
28
A metro for
the tropics
When the first metro line went
into operation in Santo Domingo
a few years ago, a new era of
mobility began for the capital of
the Dominican Republic. The commissioning of Metro Line 2 – a
complex project in terms of both
implementation and financing –
is just a few months away.
como 09 | September 2012
C
ities with high population growth all over the
world are seeking ways to deal with the rise
in road traffic and its negative consequences.
One such city is Santo Domingo, the capital of the
Dominican Republic. Its first metro line went into
operation in January 2009 – the first step in a new
era of mobility. The next step, Line 2, is scheduled
to go into operation at the start of 2013.
As with the first metro line, Siemens is playing
a key role. “We lead the Eurodom Consortium, which
is made up of German, French, Dominican and
Spanish companies,” says Miguel Berrozpe, consortium director and technical head of the project.
“As well as building the tracks, Eurodom is providing the entire electrical equipment, including
electrification, automation and communication
systems. Maintenance for the first three years is
also included.” In addition, Siemens Financial Services (SFS) provided the project with a sound
financing package.
But let’s go back to the start: Santo Domingo,
founded at the mouth of the Ozama River by the
brother of the explorer Christopher Columbus in
1498, is regarded as the oldest city established by
Europeans in the New World. It is the capital of the
Dominican Republic, located on the Antilles island
of Hispaniola along with the smaller neighboring
state of Haiti to the west. The country has recorded solid economic growth in recent years, largely
thanks to tourism. Yet the infrastructure in certain areas is still at a very early stage of development. Public transport is one example. Air-conditioned buses of regional companies do operate on
some cross-country routes, making the most
important connections several times a day, or
even every hour. However, particularly in Santo
Domingo the available transport routes have been
running at full capacity for some time. In the capital public transport is provided by frequently
overloaded collective taxis and minibuses alongside the buses of the Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses (OMSA).
“
Since Metro Line 1
opened, demand has
risen constantly – to
over 100,000 journeys
per day.
Miguel Berrozpe
focus
29
30
focus
como 09 | September 2012
The new Line 2 means commuters can also travel between the east and the west of the city conveniently and, above all,
much more quickly.
como 09 | September 2012
“Before Metro Line 1 was opened, passenger
transport in the city was dominated by a large
number of these collective taxis and various
minibus lines, so-called sindicatos, operating in
competition with one another,” recalls Berrozpe.
“But in recent years the population of the Dominican capital rose to around three million. This
population growth led to a dramatic rise in the
traffic volume, with commuters often stuck in
traffic jams for hours.”
“
The challenge
of 100 percent
financing:
managing
consortium
partners from
four different
countries.
Silke Kleemann
The metro solution
The underground rail project aims to fundamentally transform this situation. The metro is operated by the Transport Reorganization Authority
(Oficina para el Reordenamiento del Transporte,
OPRET) and forms part of a national land-use
policy initiated by long-standing President Leonel
Fernández. The intention is to improve the transport situation throughout the country. With regard
to Santo Domingo, the overall plan envisages six
complementary metro lines that should all be in
operation by around 2025.
Line 1, which opened in 2009, traverses the
city center from north to south and reduces the
load on the frequently congested road bridge
over the Isabela River. In the southern part of the
city the line runs underground. In the north,
from the Máximo Gómez station to the terminus
at Mamá Tingó, it runs on a viaduct. In its first
year of operation alone, the line carried nine million passengers, averaging around 25,000 per
day. “Since then demand has risen steadily. It
currently stands at over 100,000 journeys per
day,” says Berrozpe. The benefit to passengers is
clear: “At peak times the journey from one terminus of Line 1 to the other takes less than 25 minutes. On the road it would take over two hours.”
The new Line 2, complemented by special shuttle
buses, is expected to lure even more road users on
to the metro. Berrozpe: “Both lines link highly populated urban areas in the north and east, where most
of the residents have low and medium incomes, with
the city, the universities, governmental buildings
and business premises in the south. The western
terminus of Line 2 in the Los Alcarrizos district will
predominantly be used by commuters. A second
expansion phase will extend the line in both directions, and a direct connection to the forthcoming
Line 5 will extend the metro network southward
from here to the historic old town.
focus
As the head of the consortium, Siemens is
responsible not only for managing the entire
project but also for installing the signal and
control technology, which features the automatic train control ZUB 222, the operations control
system Vicos OC100, the electric overhead lines,
and the five substation along the line that supply the overhead lines with 1,500 volts.
There are multiple reasons why Line 2 will
operate entirely underground. One is that space
is very limited in the inner city; another is that
the particular climatic and geological conditions
on the island make special measures necessary.
“Santo Domingo is in the hurricane zone and in
a zone of seismic activity, which was demonstrated by the severe earthquake in neighboring
Haiti in January 2010,” says Berrozpe. The relative air humidity in Santo Domingo is at a tropical level of 90 percent, and temperatures can be
as high as 30°C in the daytime and around 20°C
at night. The salty sea air can damage the systems and wires, while wind speeds can easily
reach around 200 km/h during cyclones. In addition, to prevent the tunnels from being flooded
by heavy rainfall in the hurricane period from
May to November, a sufficiently large pump system is required to drain the water. The plan is to
keep the metro system in operation at all times
in spite of these extreme conditions, which
makes it a particularly challenging project.
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32
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como 09 | September 2012
The cutting-edge operations control center has
been designed with the planned network
expansion in mind. The operations control system
Vicos OC100 controls and monitors operations.
Financing also from a single source
A small island state with an average country rating cannot simply pay for such a project out of
petty cash. It was therefore necessary to put
together solid project financing at the best possible conditions. This task was entrusted to the
experts from Siemens Financial Services (SFS)
in Berlin: “The client OPRET was interested in a
100 percent financing package, which makes it a
clear case for ECA (export credit agency) financing,” explains Silke Kleemann from SFS. With
this type of financing, export credit agencies
insure the financing banks against the risk of a
foreign borrower defaulting on payment. In
most industrial nations, state or private insurers
perform this role. In Germany, for instance, the
private credit insurance company Euler Hermes
has authorization from the state to conduct all
business related to ECA financing in the name
of, on behalf of, and for the account of the German federal government. This has become commonly known as “Hermes cover.”
Kleemann: “ECA financing is commonplace in
such countries and a frequently tapped source
of financing. However, the particular aspect of
this project was that the structure of the Eurodom Consortium – which included companies
como 09 | September 2012
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33
put together a low-interest financing package
for the client and identical payment conditions
for each company in the consortium. “By the
end of September 2011, after around nine
months of intensive consultations and negotiations, we had the complete financing package
signed and sealed,” reports Kleemann. “It’s a
model that could also provide other cities with
the investment funds they require in a short
space of time.”
Just a year later the Eurodom director and
technical project leader Miguel Berrozpe can
see the light at the end of the tunnel too: “Trial
operation with a few trains has been in progress since the end of February. The first section
of Line 2 is due to be commissioned in October,
followed by the entire line in the first quarter
of 2013.” This will mean metro trains traversing Santo Domingo at speeds of up to 80 km/h
and just 200 seconds apart – gradually luring
more and more stressed drivers on to the metro network.
Florida (USA)
Bahamas
Cuba
Haiti
Jamaica
based in Germany, France, the Dominican
Republic and Spain – meant we had a supply
contract including deliveries from four different
countries.” In light of this, the financing had to
be insured by the credit insurers of each exporting country in parallel: Euler Hermes, Coface
and CESCE. “The two key objectives were to maximize the ECA financing while taking the local
deliveries of the Dominican consortium member into account, and to minimize the client’s
cash payments, bearing in mind the ECA conditions.” It was a complex organizational task for
the SFS experts, especially considering the
number of banks involved, yet they were able to
Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo
Dominican Republic
• Capital city:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Santo Domingo, population almost
3 million
Climate:
Tropical
Location:
Eastern part of the island of Hispaniola
in the Greater Antilles
Size:
48,700 km²
Population:
9.45 million, population growth around
1.6 percent
National language: Spanish
President:
2004–2012, Dr. Leonel Fernández
Reyna; since August 16, 2012,
Danilo Medina Sanchez
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move
como 09 | September 2012
‫ ש"ח‬7 :‫יר בנתיב‬
In Israel a globally unique toll system ensures that car drivers who
want to avoid the morning traffic on the way into Tel Aviv can
really do so – and enjoy a congestion-free journey into the city.
C
ommuter travel without traffic jams and holdups? A traffic control system in Israel has
been making this possible since the start of
2011. On Highway 1 between Jerusalem and Tel
Aviv the traffic on a special Fast Lane essentially
regulates itself – via a toll system that relies on
market principles: drivers can decide for themselves whether having the right to use the Fast Lane is
worth the current toll fee.
Lanes with a special right of way have been
around for a long time: as bus and taxi lanes, or as
HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes for vehicles
carrying several people. These lanes serve to assist
public transport and make better use of road capacities through carpools. The basic idea of controlling the flow of traffic with variable toll rates is not
new either. In the United States there are several
regions where the toll for special lanes is graded
depending on the time of day. However, these are
rigid systems. If the actual flow of traffic does not
match the grading of the toll fees, drivers can get
stuck in traffic despite having paid a high fee.
The traffic control system for the 13-kilometerlong Fast Lane of Highway 1 in the Tel Aviv area,
developed as a pilot project by Siemens in partnership with the Technical University of Munich,
is quite different. This HOT (high-occupancy toll)
lane guarantees a minimum quality of traffic in
return for the toll paid: “The usage fee is calculated according to the current traffic situation and
adjusted to demand every minute,” says Jörg
Schneppendahl, Head of Customer Service and
Transportation Solutions at Siemens Infrastructure & Cities. “Depending on the traffic it costs
between 7 and 75 shekels, which is 1.40 to 16
euros.” After a start-up phase the tariff is now
adjusted automatically. The intelligent traffic control system corrects possible sources of error
itself via closed control loops – to a certain degree
the system learns from experience. Between the
Lod and Kibbutz Galuyot junctions, detectors at
intervals of around 1.5 kilometers measure the
number of vehicles and their speed in real time.
Video cameras also detect the license plate numbers, and the drivers receive a monthly bill delivered to their postbox.
What is special about this system is that part of
the income from the toll lane is used to finance
free shuttle buses. Anyone who wants to can now
park their car outside the city and travel into the
center by bus, avoiding the toll fee completely.
The engineers had two clear goals when programming this novel traffic control technology:
First, the toll lane has to offer a guaranteed travel
speed so that the drivers accept the toll-based service as a permanent solution. “The instrument that
regulates this is the dynamically calculated fee. The
cost should regulate the flow of traffic onto the Fast
Lane so that there are no notable delays,” says
Siemens traffic expert Thomas Sachse. Second, the
fee cannot be excessively high. If too few drivers
use the Fast Lane, the second target of making optimal use of the total road capacity will not be met.
The system calculates the toll dynamically.
Sitraffic Dynafee: integrated in the Sitraffic Conduct+ freeway control center
Fee
Dynamic calculation
of the fee
Situation analysis
Detection data
como 09 | September 2012
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35
‫ המח‬.‫עומס מגנות‬
Clear message:
mes
at the entrance to Highway 1 drivers
can decide
for themselves whether arriving more
de
quickly is worth 7 shekels.
The fee and the amount of use vary throughout the day.
Volume of traffic
Volume of traffic
Fee
Travel time in the HOT lane
Time of day
Travel time in the HOT lane, fee
Traffic volume and demand are used to determine the fee
So the algorithm that calculates the toll
has to meet two conflicting specifications. Unsurprisingly, the real-world
results are not always clear cut. “In such
cases,” Sachse says, “the system gives
speed of travel priority over the minimum
volume of traffic.”
In any case, drivers need not be conccerned with the complex calculation proce
cess. They must simply decide whether to
us
use the lanes with the slow-moving traffic or
the toll-based Fast Lane. To aid this decision,
dis
display boards along the highway provide
info
information on the current traffic situation
on the highly frequented normal lanes and
the current
c
tariff for the Fast Lane.
Af
After just over a year of operation the verdict
is po
positive. Since commissioning in January
2011, around 6,000 cars per day have used the
Fast Lane
L
on Highway 1. The system could set
the toll
tol for the day at such a rate that the volume
of traff
traffic and average speed remain within the
optimal range. However, the fee that drivers are
willing to accept largely depends on the time of
day: when the main commuter traffic starts at
around 7 a.m. the tariff rises to 4 or 5 euros – and
in peak times hurried commuters pay as much as
16 euros.
Outside of peak hours willingness to pay declines
sharply, even when the normal lanes are clogged
with traffic in the afternoons and the Fast Lane
offers a large reduction in journey times for just
1.40 euros. The Siemens traffic researchers believe
the main reason lies in the purpose of the journey:
in the morning, on the way to work, time really
does appear to be money. In the afternoons the
drivers are apparently making private trips and not
inclined to pay to arrive more quickly.
The system has thus proved its effectiveness in
practice, concludes Schneppendahl. “Because the
traffic in the Fast Lane is always flowing, the morning commuters are spared a lot of stress – and the
environment is spared a lot of unnecessary CO2
emissions.”
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como 09 | September 2012
Smarter travel
More and more people are living in urban regions;
by the year 2050 city dwellers are expected to
make up 60 percent of the global population. How can all these people remain
mobile in the future if traffic jams and
insufficient parking have already
become part of our daily lives?
With public transport, universal
mobility chains – and an electronic ticket for all journeys.
T
icket machines are often the first hurdle that first-time visitors to a city have
to overcome. Various forms of transport and complex tariff structures make it
difficult to choose the right ticket – especially for passengers who only occasionally use public transport. Even after all
the deliberation, a successful purchase
can be hindered by not having the right
change. All of this is off-putting. If buses
and trains are to become an attractive
alternative to cars, then new, convenient,
user-friendly concepts are required.
The solution lies in eTicketing. Siemens
has already offered ticketing systems for
various international standards for some
time – including all the components from
the barrier system and management systems
to mobile ticketing and smartcards, which
enable both cashless payment and usage-based
billing. The smartcard developed by Siemens is
an electronic chip card the size of a credit card
that allows passengers to register for individual
journeys. It is equipped with an active RFID (radiofrequency identification) chip, so this electronic
ticket can do much more than the paper it replaces.
Depending on the application and domain, the
smartcard can be used intermodally, for different
forms of transport, and interoperably, for different
transport companies and tariff associations.
For example, passengers can use all forms of
transport within a city or a transport association
and change freely between the different networks.
With the eTicket passengers can
change freely between the various
modes of transport.
como 09 | September 2012
And they can also use the card to pay for additional services such as parking fees, entrance
fees or rental vehicles. The bill is calculated at
the end – it’s automatic, no cash is required, and
passengers only pay for services they
have actually used. Plus, passengers can select whether to pay
by direct debit or credit
card – or use their
eTicket as a prepaid
card and remain
anonymous
on their
travels.
connect
The smartcard also has the flexibility to be
used with different access systems. In systems
that use the Check-in/Check-out access principle
(CiCo), passengers actively check in and out of a
control system by holding their smartcards up
to a card reader on a terminal when they board
and when they alight.
Aside from buses and trains, the CiCo principle can be applied to parking lot card readers,
car rental stations or bike-sharing stations. For
instance, Siemens put together a CiCo system for
the Portuguese rail operator Comboios de Portugal (CP) that seamlessly connects its network to
the multimodal transport operator OTLIS in Lisbon and is integrated into the existing infrastructure. As the system integrator, Siemens
provides relevant components such as access
equipment and card reader systems; a central
management system looks after the data.
Even more convenient for passengers is the
Be-in/Be-out principle (BiBo), which does away
with the need to actively check in and out.
The system automatically detects the smartcard when its owner boards and alights the
vehicle. All that is required in this contactfree process is for passengers to carry
their smartcards with them. The route
traveled and any change to another class
is automatically registered. Then the
cheapest fare for the passenger is calculated. Of course, the customer can
choose whether to pay by invoice or
direct debit. In the end, a BiBo system
offers the greatest degree of convenience
and requires the least effort.
In 2010 Siemens began using the BiBo
eTicketing system again in Switzerland,
and it has been developing the system
continuously ever since. The use of wireless system components and advanced
technology has led to considerable cost
reductions compared with earlier applications. Furthermore, the new system offers an
integrated architecture that conforms to international eTicketing standards and includes
everything up to the billing procedure. The benefits to passengers and operators are tangible.
That’s why Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and the
Swiss public transport association VöV plan to
replace all conventional tickets with a single
eTicket that will offer all passengers the convenience of a season ticket.
The electronic ticket can also be used with
personal access media such as cell phones and
smartphones. Based on the user’s location, a
mobile app can offer additional services such as
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Be-in/Be-out
(BiBo)
The mode of transport, tariff and
entry and exit points are automatically detected via radio frequency.
Check-in/Check-out
(CiCo)
The passenger actively registers at
the access control point using the
smartcard.
The different
eTicketing systems can also be
integrated into
existing infrastructures, and
they offer numerous other expansion options.
CiCo system: actively check in at the entrance.
the purchase of a particular ticket, route planning, navigation and timetable information.
Siemens has already set up Germany’s most popular mobile ticket system, which today has
175,000 users. Since 2007 its subsidiary HanseCom has been operating and developing this
system, which is called HandyTicket Deutschland
and is coordinated by the Association of German
Transport Companies (VDV). The multi-client
capability of this solution allows several transport companies and associations to use the same
management system without allowing one
another to access their data or user management. Over 25 public transport operators in 19
public transport regions have now been connected to this interoperable system.
As for the eTicketing sales and customer management processes going on in the background,
the transport companies use the modular management system PTnova. It displays a transport
company’s sales-related processes and transactions, and offers functions including contract
management, accounts management and accounting. The industry-specific PTnova software is
como 09 | September 2012
connect
Background systems
The central back-office sales system PTnova brings together all the data from the upstream
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sales components and allows for a coordinated exchange of data between the smartcards,
the card readers and the accounting system. PTnova manages the customers and their
contracts, the smartcards and the card readers.
Ticket
checks
Mobile or stationary card readers
verify the smartcard and check
its validity.
Payment
methods
Access via
cell phone
Anonymous prepayment by topping
up a smartcard or postpayment via
direct debit or credit card.
MobileTicketing app for cell phones
and smartphones with online ticket
sales and additional information.
Smartcard
The Smartcard is the key component for the registration of journeys using different means of transport
as well as for the intermodal use of additional mobility and leisure services. Thanks to its dual functionality,
the Siemens Smartcard can be used in BiBo as well as CiCo systems.
directly integrated into SAP and makes the tasks
of accounting and controlling considerably easier.
As is the case with the HandyTicket Deutschland,
it can be used as a central system by partners who
wish to keep their accounting independent and
retain sovereignty over their own customers’ data
– essential requirements when implementing a
universal, intermodal transport network. Numerous public transport operators including Belgian
Railways (SNCB/NMBS), Wiener Linien in Vienna,
the BVG in Berlin and the BVB in Basel have already
successfully adopted the PTnova system.
GPS/Galileo
Wireless BiBo
Wake-up and reader components
GSM/GPRS/UMTS
BiBo gateway
BiBo system:
wireless RFID
technology
for convenient
travel and
payment.
39
To view all como issues published to date
or to sign up for a free subscription, go to:
www.siemens.com/mobility/como
como
Complete mobility – Facts, Trends, Stories
Publisher:
Siemens AG · Infrastructure & Cities Sector ·
Mobility and Logistics Division · 80200 Munich ·
Rail Systems Division · 13623 Berlin
Editor:
Stephan Allgöwer
Siemens AG · Infrastructure & Cities Sector ·
Mobility and Logistics Division · Communications
Editing:
Eberhard Buhl, www.presse-team.de
English translation:
Paul Sabin
Photographs:
iStockphoto pp. 28-32 (Illustration)
All other photos: Siemens AG
Concept & layout:
Agentur Feedback, Munich
www.agentur-feedback.de
Printing:
Mediahaus Biering, Munich
Printed in Germany
Copyright:
© Siemens AG 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or used without express prior
permission. Subject to technical modifications.
The information in this document contains
general descriptions of the technical possibilities.
These may not apply in every case.
www.siemens.com/mobility
[email protected]
ISSN 2190-0329
FB como e 09|2012 161011 ZS09124.0
Dispo No.: 21700 c4bs 7607
Order No.: A19100-V901-B127-X-7600