Abstract
Rail systems are the longest established of the land-based mass transit forms. With a fixed infrastructure, the possibility of being fully electrified, huge capacity potential and low ‘energy loss’ running dynamics, they make a compelling case for being at the core of any ‘net-zero’ future transport system. These systems though are constrained by these same aspects that provide the benefits (fixed routes, formations and signalling systems), constraining capacity and limiting flexibility. One enduring concept to unlock these benefits is the use of mechatronics in the vehicle and the infrastructure. But why have these concepts not been more widely applied before and how can they make a system wide difference?
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Notes
- 1.
‘Operational emissions’ are those from day-to-day operation of an asset/system. There are also ‘embodied emissions’ which are the emissions generated during the manufacture/installation of the system. Thankfully there are many research projects underway to reduce the emissions generated by building railways [43].
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank our sponsors over the last decade (RSSB, Network Rail, Transport for London, EPSRC, EC), the many partners we have worked with (University of Birmingham, University of Huddersfield, University of Sheffield, University of Salford, University of Nottingham, Nihon University, Politecnico di Milano, Southern Rail, Telent, SET Derby, Hitachi Rail, Perpetuum) and the many researchers past and present who have contributed to the work.
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Ward, C., Goodall, R., Harrison, T., Midgley, W. (2022). Mechatronic Applications in Rail Systems and Technologies. In: Hehenberger, P., Habib, M., Bradley, D. (eds) EcoMechatronics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07555-1_10
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