Research on digital twin technology and its application in intelligent operation and maintenance of highspeed railway infrastructure

Purpose–This paper analyzes the application of digital twin technology in the field of intelligent operation and maintenance of high-speed railway infrastructure from the perspective of top-level design.Design/methodology/approach–This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the definition,connotations,characteristics and key technologies of digital twin technology.It also conducts a thorough analysis of the current state of digital twin applications,with a particular focus on the overall requirements for intelligent operation and maintenance of high-speed railway infrastructure.Using the Jinan Yellow River Bridge on the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway as a case study,the paper details the construction process of the twin system from the perspectives of system architecture,theoretical definition,model construction and platform design.Findings–Digital twin technology can play an important role in the whole life cycle management,fault prediction and condition monitoring in the field of high-speed rail operation and maintenance.Digital twin technology is of great significance to improve the intelligent level of high-speed railway operation and management.Originality/value–This paper systematically summarizes the main components of digital twin railway.The general framework of the digital twin bridge is given,and its application in the field of intelligent operation and maintenance is prospected.

Optimization of maintenance strategy for high-speed railwaycatenary system based on multistate model

A multi-objective optimization model considering both reliability and maintenance cost is proposed to solve the contradiction between reliability and maintenance cost in high-speed railway catenary system maintenance activities.The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm 2(NSGA2)is applied to multi-objective optimization,and the optimization result is a set of Pareto solutions.Firstly,multistate failure mode analysis is conducted for the main devices leading to the failure of catenary,and then the reliability and failure mode of the whole catenary system is analyzed.The mathematical relationship between system reliability and maintenance cost is derived considering the existing catenary preventive maintenance mode to improve the reliability of the system.Secondly,an improved NSGA2(INSGA2)is proposed,which strengths population diversity by improving selection operator,and introduces local search strategy to ensure that population distribution is more uniform.The comparison results of the two algorithms before and after improvement on the zero-ductility transition(ZDT)series functions show that the population diversity is better and the solution is more uniform using INSGA2.Finally,the INSGA2 is applied to multi-objective optimization of system reliability and maintenance cost in different maintenance periods.The decision-makers can choose the reasonable solutions as the maintenance plans in the optimization results by weighing the relationship between the system reliability and the maintenance cost.The selected maintenance plans can ensure the lowest maintenance cost while the system reliability is as high as possible.

Application of On-Line Rail Milling in Rail Maintenance of High-Speed Railways

On-line rail milling technologies have been applied in rail maintenance, and are proving to be efficient and environmental friendly. Based on the field data of on-line rail milling, a program for comparing rail transverse profiles before and after milling was designed and the root mean square （RMS） amplitude of longitudinal profile was calculated. The application of on-line rail milling technology in removing rail surface defects, re-profiling railhead transverse profiles, smoothing longitudinal profiles and improving welding joint irregularity were analyzed. The results showed that the on-line rail milling technology can remove the surface defects at the rail crown and gauge comer perfectly, re-profile railhead transverse profile with a tolerance of - 1. 0-0.2 ram, improve longitudinal irregularity of rail surface, with the RMS amplitude of irregularity reduced more than 50% and the number of out-of- limited amplitude reduced by 42% - 82% in all wavelength ranges. The improvement of welding joint irregularity depends on the amount of metal removal determined by the milling equipment and the primal amplitude.

Xi’an-Chengdu High-Speed Railway Starts Operation

High-speed trains linking Xihn, capital of Northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province, and southwestern metropolis Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, began operation on December 6, 2017.

JR East aims for driverless Shinkansen operation

East Japan Railway Company(JR East)is aiming to“realize driverless train operation”as one of the key measures to respond to rapid changes in the business environment.Currently,Automatic Train Operation(ATO)equipment is not installed on the Shinkansen,but there are plans to introduce ATO or driverless operation in the near future.From 2018-2021,the Ministry of Land,Infrastructure,Transport and Tourism(MLIT)held the“ATO Technology Study Group for Railways”in which the concept of technical requirements necessary for driverless operation was discussed.In 2021,JR East conducted the GOA4 demonstration test on the Joetsu Shinkansen.In this test,we were able to confirm the basic functions of Shinkansen vehicles such as automatic departure control,speed control,fixed position stop control,and remote stop control using ATO.We aim to realize unattended operation(GOA4)for deadhead trains between Niigata Station and the Niigata Shinkansen Rolling Stock Center by the end of the 2020 s,and driverless operation(GOA3)for passenger trains of the Joetsu Shinkansen by the mid-2030s and continue to develop the necessary technologies and build systems.

A train timetable rescheduling approach based on multi-train tracking optimization of high-speed railways

Purpose–This paper aims to propose a train timetable rescheduling(TTR)approach from the perspective of multi-train tracking optimization based on the mutual spatiotemporal information in the high-speed railway signaling system.Design/methodology/approach–Firstly,a single-train trajectory optimization(STTO)model is constructed based on train dynamics and operating conditions.The train kinematics parameters,including acceleration,speed and time at each position,are calculated to predict the arrival times in the train timetable.A STTO algorithm is developed to optimize a single-train time-efficient driving strategy.Then,a TTR approach based on multi-train tracking optimization(TTR-MTTO)is proposed with mutual information.The constraints of temporary speed restriction(TSR)and end of authority are decoupled to calculate the tracking trajectory of the backward tracking train.The multi-train trajectories at each position are optimized to generate a timeefficient train timetable.Findings–The numerical experiment is performed on the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed railway line and CR400AF.The STTO algorithm predicts the train’s planned arrival time to calculate the total train delay(TTD).As for the TSR scenario,the proposed TTR-MTTO can reduce TTD by 60.60%compared with the traditional TTR approach with dispatchers’experience.Moreover,TTR-MTTO can optimize a time-efficient train timetable to help dispatchers reschedule trains more reasonably.Originality/value–With the cooperative relationship and mutual information between train rescheduling and control,the proposed TTR-MTTO approach can automatically generate a time-efficient train timetable to reduce the total train delay and the work intensity of dispatchers.

Statistical delay distribution analysis on high-speed railway trains

The focus of this study is to explore the statis-tical distribution models of high-speed railway (HSR) train delays. Based on actual HSR operational data, the delay causes and their classification, delay frequency, number of affected trains, and space–time delay distributions are discussed. Eleven types of delay events are classified, and a detailed analysis of delay distribution for each classifica-tion is presented. Models of delay probability delay prob-ability distribution for each cause are proposed. Different distribution functions, including the lognormal, exponen-tial, gamma, uniform, logistic, and normal distribution, were selected to estimate and model delay patterns. The most appropriate distribution, which can approximate the delay duration corresponding to each cause, is derived. Subsequently, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov (K–S) test was used to test the goodness of fit of different train delay distribution models and the associated parameter values. The test results show that the distribution of the test data is consistent with that of the selected models. The fitting distribution models show the execution effect of the timetable and help in finding out the potential conflicts in real-time train operations.

Progress in high-speed train technology around the world

This is a review of high-speed train development in the sense of technology advances all over the world. Three generations of high-speed trains are classified according to their technical characteristics and maximum operating speed. Emphasis is given to the newly developed high-speed train in China, CRH380. The theoretical foundations and future development of CRH380 are briefly discussed.

Research on Active Safety Methodologies for Intelligent Railway Systems

Safety is essential when building a strong transportation system.As a key development direction in the global railway system,the intelligent railway has safety at its core,making safety a top priority while pursuing the goals of efficiency,convenience,economy,and environmental friendliness.This paper describes the state of the art and proposes a system architecture for intelligent railway systems.It also focuses on the development of railway safety technology at home and abroad,and proposes the active safety method and technology system based on advanced theoretical methods such as the in-depth integration of cyber–physical systems(CPS),data-driven models,and intelligent computing.Finally,several typical applications are demonstrated to verify the advancement and feasibility of active safety technology in intelligent railway systems.

Development of rail technology for high speed railway in China

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to summarize the status and characteristics of rail technology of high-speed railway in China,and point out the development direction of rail technology of high-speed railway.Design/methodology/approach–This study reviews the evolution of high-speed rail standards in China,comparing their chemical composition,mechanical attributes and geometric specifications with EN standards.It delves into the status of rail production technology,shifts in key performance indicators and the quality characteristics of rails.The analysis further examines the interplay between wheels and rails,the implementation of grinding technology and the techniques for inspecting rail service conditions.It encapsulates the salient features of rail operation and maintenance within the high-speed railway ecosystem.The paper concludes with an insightful prognosis of high-speed railway technology development in China.Findings–The rail standards of high-speed railway in China are scientific and advanced,highly operational and in line with international standards.The quality and performance of rail in China have reached the world’s advanced level.The 60N profile guarantees the operation quality of wheel–rail interaction effectively.The rail grinding technology system scientifically guarantees the long-term good service performance of the rail.The rail service state detection technology is scientific and efficient.The rail technology will take“more intelligent”and“higher speed”as the development direction to meet the future needs of high-speed railway in China.Originality/value–The development direction of rail technology for high-speed railway in China is defined,which will promote the continuous innovation and breakthrough of rail technology.

Design theories and maintenance technologies of slab tracks for high-speed railways in China:a review

The durability and reliability of slab track structures are essential for the long-term safety and stable operation of high-speed railways.In order to provide a solid theoretical basis and technical reference for the advancement of high-speed railway quality,this paper comprehensively discusses design theories of slab track structures,service performance evolution and maintenance technologies,and reviews the innovation happening in the industry.On top of that,the damage evolution,fatigue features and durability of slab tracks,which are highly relevant to serviceability,are summarized,and the future research trend of slab track service behaviours is pointed out.In addition,this paper summarizes the rules of establishing standards for damage maintenance,typical solutions for repairing damage and methods of evaluating the maintenance outcomes that combine field tests and numerical simulations.It also envisions a future direction where advanced testing technologies would assist the evaluation of maintenance effects.

Natural disaster warning system for safe operation of a high-speed railway

In this paper,the least square support vector machine(LSSVM)is used to study the safety of a high-speed railway.According to the principle of LSSVM regression prediction,the parameters of the LSSVM are optimized to model the natural disaster early warning of safe operation of a high-speed railway,and the management measures and methods of high-speed railway safety operation under natural disasters are given.The relevant statistical data of China’s high-speed railway are used for training and verification.The experimental results show that the LSSVM can well reflect the nonlinear relationship between the accident rate and the influencing factors,with high simulation accuracy and strong generalization ability,and can effectively predict the natural disasters in the safe operation of a high-speed railway.Moreover,the early warning system can improve the ability of safety operation evaluation and early warning of high-speed railway under natural disasters,realize the development goals of high-speed railway(safety,speed,economic,low-carbon and environmental protection)and provide a theoretical basis and technical support for improving the safety of a high-speed railway.

Review and prospect of maintenance technology for traction system of high-speed train

In the past few decades,high-speed trains have witnessed tremendous and vigorous development with the appearance of the oil crisis and industrialization,which became a significant trend in the transportation industry the world over.With the increase of high-speed railway mileage,the amount of high-speed train has grown sharply,the service life of the trains has increased gradually and the components of the vehicle traction system have become worn and aged as a result.Therefore,advanced maintenance technology and its application are key factors to reduce maintenance cost,human resource input and ensure safe,stable and reliable operation of trains.This paper summarizes and discusses the development,application mode,maintenance management and maintenance technology of high-speed railways of the major countries in the world,especially discusses the condition-based maintenance and the key technology of the traction electrical system,and offers the prospect of research direction and the development of traction maintenance technology.