Engineering news
French-US company HyperloopTT worked with Hitachi Rail to customise the rail multinational’s European Rail Traffic Management (ERTMS) simulators for the new technology.
Promising top speeds of up to 1,200km/h, HyperloopTT is one of several projects developing the hyperloop concept. The firm’s vision would see pressurised ‘capsules’ carrying 28-50 passengers through low-pressure tubes, floating on a magnetic cushion and using electric propulsion.
While proponents claim hyperloop will bring low-carbon, airliner-speed travel at ground level, critics say the concept has numerous drawbacks. Potential issues include safety, high infrastructure costs, the early stage of many key underlying technologies and limited capacity.
HyperloopTT believes the technology will be transformative, however, and has several key projects including a test track in Toulouse, France. It is also planning a commercial prototype in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, and carried out a feasibility study in Great Lakes in the US.
The completion of the cloud-based ERTMS signalling system is an ‘important milestone’ towards commercial operation, the two partners claimed. Developed at Hitachi Rail’s site in Naples, Italy, the simulator allows for integrated testing of traffic management, signalling and some of the physical safety requirements of the hyperloop system.
“By replacing the capabilities of complex physical equipment with cloud-based software, the solution offers greater reliability, greater flexibility in deployment, cuts maintenance costs and is more sustainable,” an announcement said. “The simulator can also help to make HyperloopTT more efficient by automating repetitive tasks and detecting and managing potential disruptions, instead of reacting to events as they occur.”
The system is based on ERTMS and ETCS L2 (European Train Control System Level 2) signalling technology, simulating the regulation and control of capsules moving at very high speeds. ERTMS is used and recognised internationally, providing high interoperability. This could allow HyperloopTT systems to operate safely around the world without new standards, the companies claimed.
The next step will be digital integration of the signalling infrastructure and the cloud-based model for the physical capsules, the announcement said, enabling physical testing of the whole system in Toulouse.
Andres De Leon, CEO of HyperloopTT, said: “Hitachi Rail’s experience in installing, maintaining, and monitoring traffic management systems in the rail industry is second to none. We’re delighted to have collaborated with them on this cutting-edge simulation of ERTMS and ECTS systems on our hyperloop, which takes us one step closer to achieving our goal of creating the world’s fastest, most efficient, and most affordable end-to-end transportation solution.”
Leonardo Impagliazzo, chief director of innovation at Hitachi Rail, said: “Hitachi Rail is committed to pioneering new digital mobility technologies. Our digital signalling technology is used in the USA and Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Asia to help safely move millions of passengers every day.
“This partnership allows us to evolve our best-in-class signalling and automation systems, and to customise it for HyperloopTT’s super high-speed transport. We are excited about this achievement and are looking ahead to the next stage of the programme.”
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