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Making rail transport more sustainable, comfortable and quieter
If rail is to become a more attractive transport option, there must be a greater focus on:
Reducing the energy consumption of rolling stock and rail infrastructure
Reducing the noise and vibration generated by trains and railway lines
The Challenge
Massive efforts are underway to make railways even more energy-efficient and quieter. A central challenge is to measure key sustainability and noise and vibration criteria, highlighting impacts of technological innovations.
How we do this?
By focusing on two main areas:
1. Improving energy-efficiency and sustainability
Shift2Rail set out to develop a standardised methodology for estimating energy consumption through simulation and measurement
2. Reducing noise and vibration
Researchers developed simulation methodologies for a train’s exterior noise – at standstill and passby. They improved predictions of ground-vibrations by passing trains.
Key energy and sustainability solutions
Models and parameters were improved to calculate energy consumption of reference trains more accurately, taking into account five key topics:
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning systems, including innovative technologies with heat pumps and natural refrigerants
- Auxiliary power of the train (for lighting, battery charging, traction equipment cooling, air compressors, control and onboard signalling
systems) - Battery-Powered Electrical Multiple Units, with reference parameters for trains/infrastructure
- Generic thermal model of the carriage body, with thermal reference parameters
- Freight trains with updated reference parameters for aerodynamic losses/energy consumption
Shift2Rail’s most effective innovations to reduce energy consumption:
- Energy optimised driving with driver advisory systems or Automatic Train Operation, and a capable traffic management system
- Traction and auxiliary converters with highly efficient Silicon-carbide power semiconductors
- Extended freight wagon market with improved aerodynamics
- Optimised container sequence for intermodal freight trains
- Freight trains with updated reference parameters for aerodynamic losses/energy consumption
| System Platform Demonstrations | Energy Key Performance Indicators improvement achieved |
| High speed trains (max 300 km/h or higher, and 250 km/h) | 3.77% – 5.71% |
| Regional trains (max 160 km/h, and 140 km/h) | 12.35% – 14.19% |
| Metro | 12.52% |
| Suburban | 6.46% |
| Freight mainline | 19.82% – 24.24% |
Benefits of a standardised methodology for estimating energy consumption
- Enable a standardised specification of energy-efficient railways
- Achieve and assess Shift2Rail’s overall energy reduction
- Demonstrate effective cost-effectiveness and energy-saving features
Solutions developed
Key findings
Methods to identify and separate noise sources from trains passing a measuring point
- Pass-by-analysis: straightforward pass-by spectra at each speed
- Microphone array: to pinpoint and quantify individual sources over train’s whole length and height; clearly identify contribution of the rail
Uncertainty assessment of exterior noise simulations
Noise simulation tools used to model the trains and calculate noise: SITARE; TraiNoiS; ProgNoise. Overall passby level calculated with accuracy of 2dB or less in 90% of cases
Feasibility of reference track normalisation
New proposals for future revisions of TSI and standards (ISO 3095, EN 15461, TSI-Noise) to enable future transpositions to a virtual reference track
Simulation tool for vibrations
Validating the vibration prediction tool’s ability to predict vibrations from railway traffic in buildings next to the track
Software tools for auralisation and visualisation
In listening tests, people struggled to identify which files were measured or auralised: the tool can be used to communicate mitigation measures
Who benefits
Infrastructure managers
Railway operators
Key Finding
The total energy-saving potential of Shift2Rail’s innovations is about:
- 10% for passenger trains
- 30% for freight trains
Did You Know?
Many innovations exist to reduce noise and vibration caused by rail transport, including:
- modelling
- prediction using real and virtual testing
Fast Fact
Railways have become 37% more energy efficient since the year 2000