The present invention relates generally to ground transportation systems, and more particularly to a fixed guideway transportation system that achieves a superior ratio of benefits per cost, is lower in net present cost and thus more easily justified for lower density corridors, and can provide passenger carrying capacities appropriate for higher density corridors serviced by mass rapid transit systems today.

The present invention relates to a heavy freight train marshalling device and marshalling method, and an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system; the latitude and longitude data of the carriage control unit is acquired by a Beidou positioning module; the first-vehicle state data of the carriage control unit is acquired by detecting a first-vehicle identification terminal; and, the carriage control units only need to transmit the acquired location data and the first-vehicle state data to the HEU via communication modules. Accordingly, the number of communication messages between the carriage control units and the HEU is decreased, the complicated process of connecting the carriage control units to or disconnecting the carriage control units from a switchable load is omitted, the marshalling time is shortened, and the complexity of marshalling is reduced.

An antenna arrangement for the mobile communication of a rail vehicle and a rail vehicle with an antenna arrangement of the type. The antenna arrangement has at least two transmitting antennas and at least two receiving antennas. The transmitting antennas are spatially grouped in a transmitting group and the receiving antennas are spatially grouped in a receiving group. The distances between the transmitting antennas and between the receiving antennas is smaller than the overall distance between the transmitting group and the receiving group. The antennas can thereby be arranged in a much more space-saving fashion on the vehicles because large distances have to be provided only between the groups, not between the antennas within the groups. Where the space needed is low, interference-free operation of the antennas is thus advantageously possible.

In one aspect, a mobile railway asset monitoring apparatus is provided that includes a sensor configured to produce a signal indicative of a rotation of a wheelset of a mobile railway asset. The apparatus further includes a processor to receive data corresponding to a ground speed of the mobile railway asset. The processor is operably coupled to the sensor, the processor configured to estimate a running dimension of the wheelset based at least in part on the rotation of the wheelset and the ground speed of the mobile railway asset. The processor is configured to determine at least one parameter of the mobile railway asset based at least in part on the running dimension of the wheelset.

At an on-board control unit of an on-board apparatus, a coupling detecting unit detects coupling of a failure train with respect to the own train. Then, in the case where detection is performed by the coupling detecting unit, a train occupancy range calculating unit updates train length information using the number of vehicles of the failure train and uses the updated train length information to calculate train occupancy range information. Further, a traveling control unit controls traveling and stop of the own train as a series of coupled trains in the case where detection is performed by the coupling detecting unit.

A visual diagnostic system for a rail vehicle having multiple assets is disclosed. The visual diagnostic system may have a data interface configured to receive a data stream from a wayside unit. The data stream includes values of a plurality of parameters measured made by the wayside unit. The data interface may also be configured to receive geo-information and configuration-information. The system further includes a memory device configured to store the data stream and a controller configured to determine, from the geo-information and the configuration-information, a geographic location of each of the multiple assets. The controller is further configured to determine prognostic information associated with an operational status of each of the multiple assets. The controller may further render for display in a user interface a visual representation of the rail vehicle with the prognostic information for each asset of the rail vehicle.

Systems and methods are provided for worker protection. The worker protection systems comprise a plurality of alert devices, comprising one or more wearable personal alert devices, each worn by a person (e.g., worker), and one or more companion alert devices that broadcast alerts or signals triggering alerts. The companion alert devices comprise vehicle-mounted alert devices, configured for operation on vehicles (e.g., trains), and wayside detection units, configured for placement on or near paths of the vehicles. The wayside detection units may be operable to autonomously detect and track the vehicles.

A method for detecting broken rail and track occupancies measures both the electrical current and voltage on each end of the block of track. This allows a broken rail to be detected even with a shunting axle (occupancy) in the same detection block. The method also provides broken rail detection capability to support modes of operation in which a following train maintains safe spacing from a leading train without the use of track circuit information for train location, allowing for reduced train spacing. The current and voltage measurements are used to make binary decisions, in order to minimize the sensitivity to variations in track impedance characteristics. When combined with train location information, this method also allows for identifying the location of a rail break.

A method operates a first and a second vehicle. Accordingly, on the vehicle side, it is checked whether a new coupling with another vehicle has occurred, and after establishing a new coupling, a respective configuration signal signaling the coupling status is transmitted to a track-side switching unit. If there is a configuration signal of the first vehicle and a configuration signal of the second vehicle, a communications connection is established between the two vehicles via the track-side switching unit or an already existing communications connection between the two vehicles is reconfigured.

A system includes a transceiver for receiving one or more communications from a communication device in a railway vehicle; a microcontroller that is configured for communication with the transceiver and that is configured to control a position of a switch in the railway; and an electronic subsystem for interfacing with the microcontroller and with the switch; wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit to the microcontroller at least one of the one or more communications received from the railway vehicle; wherein the microcontroller is further configured to extract a command from the parsed contents; wherein the microcontroller is further configured to transmit the command to the electronic subsystem to cause the electronic subsystem to transition the switch to a position specified by the command; and wherein transitioning of the switch to the specified position enables the railway vehicle to cross the switch.