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          EU-Rail’s Innovation Pillar (IP) is tasked to deliver operational and technological solutions that contribute to a more efficient, flexible, and demand-led, yet safe and environmentally sustainable European railway system.

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          The Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking is the predecessor programme of the Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail), established by Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021.

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          Europe’s Rail Catalogue of Solutions illustrates successful R&I results in the form of possible products and solutions, while highlighting the benefits for final users, operators, infrastructure managers and/or suppliers. This publication also outlines the advantages of integrating demonstrators into market solutions so that they can deliver the rail innovation Capabilities of the future.

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          About Europe's Rail

          Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail) is the European partnership on rail research and innovation established under the Horizon Europe programme (2020-2027) and the universal successor of the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking.

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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

Europe's Rail