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Tech stage

On the tech stage, technical and practical insights were shared with you in the form of interactive workshops, round table sessions, panel discussions and presentations. Each day focused on two topics. 

  • 30 March: The passenger, Sustainability
  • 31 March: Automation in Rail, Rail Operation
  • 1 April: Maintenance, Data Analytics
Programme
Tech stage

30 March

European year of Rail

The passenger ↓

10.00-10.20 CEST
Body Structures of Rail Coaches by ROLL FORMING Technology
John Shin
Managing Director of SHC Heavy Industry

SHC HEAVY INDUSTRY is going to show the major roll formed components for the structures of single and double decker coaches. SHC also presents a video to show the manufacturing process for Roll Forming and Sub-assemblies for underframe, roof, and side walls.

10.45-11.05 CEST
Train traveller behaviour during and after Covid-19
Niels van Oort & Danique Ton
Smart Public Transport Lab at Delft University of Technology

The Covid pandemic has (had) an obvious impact on mobility patterns and systems. Especially public transport is affected heavily. In this session we will share the insights regarding adjusted travel behaviour and have an outlook towards to the period after Covid.

11.05-11.25 CEST
What are the expectations after COVID-19?
Mark van Hagen
Principal consultant, NS

How are we going to welcome the passengers back after COVID-19? Dutch Railways and TU Delft worked on a longitudinal survey with the goal to capture passenger behaviour, attitudes and intentions regarding train usage during and after the pandemic.

11.25-12.00 CEST
Round table discussion COVID-19 and the effect on passenger travel behaviour

In this round table the effects of COVID19 on the passenger behaviour and the effect in the future will be discussed. 

Panellist are: Niels van Oort (TU Delft), Danique Ton (TU Delft), Mark van Hagen (NS) and Michiel Voes (University Antwerp). 

12.15-12.35 CEST
How innovation in retail is key to convincing people to choose the train?
Audrey Détrie, Managing Director at Trainline International

Slow and green travel is an emerging trend. A lot has been developed by carriers and governments, but something else is also key to attract new consumer : ticketing. What are the latest innovations in ticketing?

Sustainability ↓

13.00-13.20 CEST
SPIN APP, a smart tool to assess and build back better
Anna Leemans, Secretary General at Yellow Design Foundation

SPIN APP is based on the results of several years of passenger behaviour observations and human scientific research in Europa and Asia. It assesses the integrated performance of (multi-modal) stations and buildings and generates integrated scores that focus on climate resilience and better convenience, security, energy and environmental performance. 

13.30-14.00 CEST
A circular railway: a forgotten art
Akkie Stomphorst & Erno Chevallier, Voestalpine Railpro

Voestalpine Railpro is aware of the vulnerability of natural resources. Centrally located in the Netherlands, we have a so-called rail infra mine where we collect and separate used rail materials from across the country for reuse and recycling. We have been doing this for many years. During our workshop, we take the audience with us in our vision of circular material use and the solutions we offer.  

14.15-14.35 CEST
Circular Dismantling of Trains

Maarten van Cann, Project Manager NS (Dutch Railways)

In this workshop various techniques are discussed how to become more sustainable when the recycling percentages approach the limit of 100%. Curious about the strategy and working methods of dismantling trains within the Dutch Railways? Then join this workshop!

14.45-15.15 CEST
Let's bring rail experience to road

Erik Koopman, Business Development Manager, Siemens

Pantograph equipped electric trucks (including those with a hybrid drive) can be supplied with electricity via overhead contact lines while in motion.

15.30-15.50 CEST
Protecting tomorrow today

Gerben Borger, Founder and Managing Director, PION Kunststoffen

The world of plastics offers major challenges and opportunities at the same time. By recycling and reusing plastic as future-proof cable protection, we contribute to the European Green Deal. In this workshop you will discover practical insights and steps required to develop and launch future-proof solutions. Inspired by impactful practical examples - from global pioneers and PION itself.

31 March

Digital Railways

Automation in Rail ↓

09.45-10.15 CEST
ATO, game changer for the future of rail!
Patrick Combrink, ProRail and Jaco van Meijeren, TNO

In this presentation Patrick and Jaco will give you an overview of urgency, status, required efforts and value of ATO in the Netherlands (based on position paper ATO of TNO) and will explain the future steps with ATO in the Netherlands, ambitions and experiments.

10.30-11.00 CEST
Automatic train operation, a challenged promise
Michiel Veltman, Senior consultant Royal HaskoningDHV

Implementing Automated Train Operation (ATO) will affect various aspects of rail transportation. Railway organisations are competing with other modalities on aspects of efficiency and sustainability. On safety aspects however, there is no room for compromises. How can the rail industry benefit from opportunities without jeopardising its impeccable safety standards?

11.15-11.35 CEST
Automated Train Operation (ATO) successfully tested in Rail Freight
An interview with Jacob Baseliyos, DB Cargo

For the first time in the history of European rail, field tests of an automated freight train under European Train Control System (ETCS) were successfully performed in theo pen network (Switzerland). After a two-year innovation journey, the Automated Rail Cargo Consortium (ARCC) led by DB Cargo, in collaboration with the X2Rail-3 consortium led by Thales, successfully activated four different ATO on-board units in mixed traffic. What are the results of the test?

Rail operation ↓

13.00-13.20 CEST
Train to Ground communications network
Claudio Bassani, Vertical Solution Expert Transportation, Nokia

Metro/urban rail operators are under pressure to provide reliable efficient services to a growing population. New applications are being deployed to improve safety, security, and passenger experience. This session will examine wireless networking solutions that can enable metro/urban rail operators to build a reliable high performance broadband communications foundation for safety-critical as well as other applications.

13.30-14.00 CEST
It all starts at trackside
Ingo Rath, Head of Application Projects Product Business at Thales Deutschland

The railway industry is putting its best means together in order to transport more people and goods, faster and with a higher punctuality than ever. Achieving this on the existing tracks requires reliable and high available train detection system. In this talk, Thales will outline the state-of-the-art Axle counter technology with the focus on the fundamentals, unique features as well as the advantages driving the global success of axle counters.

14.15-14.35 CEST
Potential and challenges of Virtual Coupling for train platooning
Joelle Aoun, PhD researcher at the Department of Transport and Planning at Delft University of Technology

The railway industry is developing new generations of train-centric signalling to increase railway capacity. The European Shift2Rail project MOVINGRAIL assessed the market potentials of Virtual Coupling. Critical bottlenecks in the innovation of Virtual Coupling were found to be the development of integrated traffic management and cooperative train control as well as the analysis of safety issues.

14.45-15.15 CEST
Showcasing our data-driven approach at ProRail
Jeroen Silfhout, Sara Larsson, Thomas Yperlaan & Rob Udink, CGI

As a proud partner of ProRail, CGI has been involved in IT projects which drive the Digital transformation of ProRail. In our presentation we will take you through projects that support ProRail in creating a ‘common operational picture’. This digital transformation is driven by a common source of asset information, standardized exchange of this information and usage of it in our key solutions like simulation (NEO), monitoring (PMP) and calculation of safety measures (DDIO). We welcome you on this journey.

15.30-15.50 CEST
Digital Asset Monitoring
Maarten Zanen & Maarten de Vries, Ricardo Rail

As technologies advance and become cheaper, railways are becoming more and more digital and the amount of data being produced is rising exponentially. This presents huge challenges (and opportunities). Based upon a number of examples Digital Asset Monitoring will demonstrate how better collection, use and analysis of data can enable rail asset managers and fleet owners to reduce maintenance costs and improve performance.

16.00 - 16.20 CEST
How CastLab and the Dutch Railways lower maintenance costs with digital part manufacturing
Koen Melis, Castlab

COVID19 has changed the rail industry and made it possible to look closer to where costs can be saved. Dutch Railways are working with CastLab to digitize its inventory, allowing for the production of metal parts on demand. Their average savings per article amount to €25,000. Let’s learn more about their story.

1 April

Smart Infrastructure

Maintenance ↓

09.00-09.20 CEST
Alom / Rosehill rubber level crossing installation and Anti-Trespass panels
Mark van den Rijen & Edwin Aerts, Alom

This presentation includes a demonstration of the different variants tailored to the traffic situation: CONNECT system, LINK system, BASEPLATE system, Interlocking RRAP (Road Rail Access Point), Rubber Edge beams, Anti-Trespass panels and Lifting tools for fast and safe installation.

09.30-09.50 CEST
Mobile Rail Milling in the Netherlands – A Field Report
Barry Bierman, Project Manager Vossloh

The field report describes both the challenges and the requirements of launching a new rail machining process in the Netherlands, which Vossloh has mastered together with ProRail. In 2018/19, milling was given contractual preference over conventional grinding for the first time. 

10.00-10.20 CEST
Preventing Asset MISmanagement: how to avoid the largest pitfalls in Assetmanagement
Anna Klamer, Technology Consultant, Stevin

Asset Management organisations are complex due to the large amount of people and assets operating in one asset management system. The failure of managing this complexity causes serious issues. We will share our views on how to deal with this complexity and prevent Asset MISmanagement, by sharing three concrete ways that you can apply yourself by tomorrow.

10.30-10.50 CEST
Digital worksite protection. Challenge accepted!
Marlene Klompenhouwer, Head of Department Singular Assets, Infrabel

With the massive increase in traffic and the deployment of ERTMS Infrabel needs to rethink how to plan and execute its maintenance and renewal activities as well as protect our tracksides works. A large-scale programme to reinvent workside protection has therefore been launched: Safer-W (short for Safer Works). This presentation handles about the link between ETCS/ERTMS and employee protection.

11.00-11.20 CEST
Process optimization with new tamping machines at Infrabel
Krzysztof Wilczek, Head of Track Analytics at Plasser & Theurer

A deep dive inside our latest turnout tamper Unimat 08-4x4/4S. It is filled with cutting edge technology. We have a closer look at the systems and how they will help Infrabel to fulfill their mission.

11.30-11.50 CEST
On Board Monitoring for Railway infrastructure: Extracting Indicators for Diagnosis & Prognosis
Eleni Chatzi & Cyprien Hoelzl ETH Zurich

The increasing demands in mobility forms a major challenge for railway infrastructure. Infrastructure operators require timely information regarding the current (diagnosis) and future (prognosis) condition of their assets. On-Board Monitoring (OBM) vehicles equipped with low-cost measuring devices. This presentation will discuss the use of data-driven and model-assisted methods for derivation of such OBM-based indicators.

12.00-12.20 CEST
New IOT sensor measures railway void!
Paul Kampfraath (Kampa) & Pascal van der Zwalm (Rail1435)

A new Rail 1435 product! The IoT sensor that remotely measures railway void, temperature, linear displacement or the movement of an expansion joint. All data analyzed and summarized in SAM, Smart Asset Monitoring. Complete and continuous insight into the state of your railway track. You don't want to miss this presentation!

12.30-13.00 CEST
InnoTamp, background and approach
Mark Thomas, Business Development Manager/Project Manager Rail, Fugro

The aim of the InnoTamp project was to develop an affordable process to increase geometric track quality through widespread routine application of design tamping in place of maintenance tamping. What are the combined benefits of design tamping using the InnoTamp process?

Data analytics ↓

13.00-13.30 CEST
Automatic Digital Twin creation from point clouds

Tobias Wittwer, GeoNext

GeoNext has created an approach to automatic feature extraction from point clouds acquired via laser scanning that is capable of automatically creating a Digital Twin of the railroad infrastructure. This 3D model can be used to analyse the state of the railroad assets and provide information for design and predictive maintenance. 

13.45-14.05 CEST
Vibration energy harvesting will boost development of IoT in railways

Donat Ponamariov, CEO of the Lithuanian startup Viezo

How can we make wireless IoT more user-friendly and cheaper? Vibration energy harvesting converts vibrations into usable electricity which then can be used to power those wireless sensors indefinitely, making the solution cheaper in the long run and completely maintenance-free. Introducing these new technologies into Railway will bring a lot of advantages.

14.15-14.45 CEST
Integrated data acquisition railway vegetation management

Jack Vogelaar, Business Development Manager Rail, Fugro

During the workshop Jack will cover the methodology, and results for developing an automated solution for remotely assessing and/or mitigating vegetation related risks. Such risks include the identification of individual trees of falling distance and zones of vegetation encroachments.

15.00-15.20 CEST
Innovative Monitoring System for Return Cables in DC-Rail applications
Dietmar Ast, Rail Power Systems

More information will follow shortly.

15.30-15.50 CEST
RailCloud: Data centric maintenance management for railway tracks
Peter Merz, VDM Rail

Quality measurement data in combination with precise localization is the foundation for a data centric maintenance work flow. This presentation will report on the actual scope and status of the RailCloud software platform, give an impression of the implementation at different European railway operators and show future functional prospect for smart maintenance of railway assets.

Other stages
THE STAGES

ProRail stage

  • Interactive sessions in the form of workshops and many more, powered by our host ProRail
View programme

Main stage

  • Conference sessions with high-level speakers
  • Policy level
View programme
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