GPS World

Tag: train

  • Satellite imagery shows aftermath from Ohio train disaster

    Satellite imagery shows aftermath from Ohio train disaster

    Image: Maxar Technologies
    Image: Maxar Technologies

    Maxar Technologies shared via Twitter satellite imagery from the aftermath of the train derailment and explosion in East Palestine, Ohio. The train derailed on Feb. 3 and was carrying toxic materials.

    The satellite images show the ongoing cleanup efforts following the derailment. The wrecked train can be clearly seen as well as blue storage containers being used to collect hazardous materials.

    Hundreds of East Palestine residents had to evacuate their homes after a Norfolk Southern Railroad train carrying vinyl chloride derailed and exploded, emitting deadly fumes into the air and toxic material into the Ohio River.

    A Feb. 8 press release from Ohio Governor Mike Dewine stated that it was safe for residents to safely return to their homes. “There will be ongoing air monitoring in the area, but for those who would like air quality readings to be conducted within their homes, Norfolk Southern Railroad has hired an independent contractor to work with local law enforcement, the U.S. EPA, and state officials to take air quality samples and provide results at no charge to residents,” it said.

  • Dual-band GNSS antenna ready for railways

    Dual-band GNSS antenna ready for railways

    Image: 3alexd/E+/Getty Images
    Image: 3alexd/E+/Getty Images

    Huber+Suhner extends its Sencity rail MIMO antenna portfolio with dual-band GNSS services

    Huber+Suhner, an international manufacturer of components and systems for optical and electrical connectivity solutions, has extended the capabilities of its rail rooftop antennas with its launch of an embedded dual-band GNSS antenna that meets the railway industries’ stringent requirements.

    Adding to its established Sencity rail antenna portfolio, the new multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) rooftop antenna enables railway operators to improve geospatial positioning and time precision of their operations.

    Photo: Huber+Suhner
    Photo: Huber+Suhner

    Supporting both the upper and lower GNSS bands, the antenna enables pinpoint location accuracy for the rigorous applications such as autonomous trains. With greater transparency of movement on the tracks, railway operators can improve the operational planning of densely crowded railway tracks and metro lines.

    “The GNSS port on the antenna supports a higher number of satellite constellations,” said Daniel Montagnese, Huber+Suhner product manager for railway antennas. “This enables operators to improve signal acquisition time, as well as reducing the impact of obstructions in order to increase efficiency on the tracks.”

    The GNSS port is complemented by two broadband cellular and Wi-Fi compatible ports that can be deployed for a variety of different train-to-ground services.

    The Sencity MIMO rail antenna supports the GPS, Galileo, BeiDou and GLONASS constellations. Its robust design also meets the stringent EN 50155 railway standard and is fire retardant according to EN 45545-2 and NFPA130.

    Huber+Suhner is a global company with headquarters in Switzerland which develops and manufactures components and system solutions for electrical and optical connectivity. With cables, connectors and systems — developed from the three core technologies of radio frequency, fiber optics and low frequency — the company serves customers in the communication, transportation and industrial sectors.

  • Railway in France to test GNSS for train control

    A region in France is working with SNCF (the French National Railway Company) to foster the emergence of new solutions — including GNSS technologies — for the operation and control of regional trains and railway infrastructure.

    On Sept. 1, the Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region and GUIDE (GNSS Testing Laboratory) signed an agreement to open a railway line to field tests for companies seeking to perform assessments aboard trains. The agreement is supported by the French space agency CNES and the Aerospace Valley Center.

    The Geofer project, managed by GUIDE, will allow the testing of applications in operational situations. The applications are based on radionavigation and telecommunication data initially intended for other business sectors.

    Through the Geofer project, the Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region is pursuing two strategic goals. The first aims to strengthen mobility within the region through better control of operating costs. The second is to diversify industrial activities with rail. The project could lead to modernization of secondary lines of the national railway network by embedding, for example, some functions of railway signaling.

    The test region — the Tessonnières-Rodez line (Tarn/Aveyron) — crosses a mountainous area conducive to tests in constrained environments.

    As leader of the project, GUIDE is working to geo-reference the line and to instrument a train that will calibrate future embedded applications. The collected data will then be re-used and replayed on test benches to help solution developers tune their embedded systems more easily.

    A co-financer of Geofer, CNES is actively involved in the tests. A receiver implementing an algorithm (PPP-WIZARD) developed by its engineers will be tested on board, using software to exploit future satellite services to achieve decimetric accuracy. This technology could make possible many rail applications such as precise dock stops or a better prediction of maintenance operations.

    M3 Systems will supply the mission receiver responsible for dispatching accurate and real-time data about the positioning and speed of the train to embedded applications. This device merges the satellite measurements with those of other sensors used to ensure the quality of the geolocation messages.

    For example, devices such as shock sensors to detect unusual efforts of the pantograph against the overhead cable, speed control systems for eco-driving, and roaming systems for telecommunication will be developed, implemented and evaluated on the line and on simulation benches.