As a solution to resolve the problems of the city such as traffic jam, a shift in the usage from privately-owned cars to public transport are pointed out, however the present situation is such that due to the lack of high convenience in using privately-owned cars or the improvement of the overall public transport in terms of convenience has caused few success cases. In light to this problem, with the purpose of convenience improvement of the public transport as a whole, an integrated information system of the railroad and buses was developed in order to provide the users with such information. An efficacy evaluation of the smartphone application with integrated information system was developed and tested in Kashiwa City of Chiba Prefecture from October 2013 to December 2013. The assessment and efficacy evaluation of the user and usage trends of the society during the testing period were obtained and reported.

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In recent years, speed of high speed railways is raised by improvement of technology about vehicle, truck and electric. However, speedup of railway vehicle caused high frequency vibration; therefore riding comfort deteriorated by resonance with the back seat. In this study, the authors aimed to construct the passenger model with multi-body dynamics (MBD) to propose a seat design guideline to reduce vibration including high frequency. First, in order to construct the passenger model, the authors investigated the vibration characteristic of the passenger and the seat by vibration test. Vibration test was performed by inputting linear sweep wave from 0.2Hz to 40Hz in front-back direction or vertical direction to floor, and acceleration of the passenger's head, shoulders, chest, belly, and thighs and the seat were measured. Next, a passenger model with 13 mass and 23 degrees of freedom was constructed by MBD. After that, simulation studies were carried out by inputting linear sweep wave from 0.2Hz to 40Hz in front-back direction or vertical direction to floor of the model, and the authors compared simulation result with experimental result. Simulation result shows the good agreement with experimental result; therefore the validity of the passenger model is verified.

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In recent years, vehicle technologies for speed up and improvement of ride comfort had been developed. However, it was confirmed that vibrations around 10Hz and 30Hz were activated during high-speed running on the vehicle floor. Many studies for reducing vibration about 10Hz were performed, because vibration of these frequency area was big during normal speed running. Moreover, passengers were sensitive for low frequency vibration. As representative example of method for reducing vibration about 10Hz include to raise the rigidity of vehicle body. On the other hand, studies about reduction of vibration around 30Hz was not performed because there was little influence on the ride comfort in normal speed. But now, vibrations around 30Hz has become the big problem for the ride comfort. Therefore design guideline for developing a seat which restrain the vibration and improve ride comfort was desired. This study aims for investigating the vibration characteristics of a high speed railway vehicle seat and suggesting design guidelines for developing a seat which improve ride comfort by constructing a seat model which reproduces the vibration characteristics. Vibration tests were carried out and it was revealed that elastic oscillation occurred in a seat base and vibration properties were very complex. Then, the chair model was proposed using Multi Body Dynamics and some vibration properties were reproduced. However, some undesired vibration occurred so the model needed further investigation.

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Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system of the high-speed train gets the most direct impact for passenger comfort, and the analysis of the passenger compartment temperature, humidity and micro air velocity is of practical significance. Numerical simulation of the three-dimensional turbulent flow in the whole flow field of the passenger compartment has been performed. Mass flow boundary conditions have been specified to the inlet and the outlet. The SIMPLE algorithm, in conjunction with the RNG k-ε turbulent model, has been used to solve the Navier-Stokes equations. Based on the numerical calculation of the internal flow in the passenger compartment, the velocity field, pressure field, temperature field and the micro air velocity have been farther analyzed. The calculation results have a good agreement with the experimental results, which are with good reliability. The research results are of important significance to the optimal design of the HVAC system for the train.

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Thermal environment is one of the important factors affecting passengers' comfort in railway trains. However, there has been limited research on the relationships between passengers' comfort and the thermal environment in railway trains. The aim of this paper is to clarify the relationships with a focus on high speed trains in winter. At first, to understand the characteristics of the thermal environment in a high speed train, a field survey was conducted by measuring the temperature and humidity on a high speed train in regular passenger services from the morning to the night. The observation range of the temperature was from 23.8℃ to 28.0℃, and that of the humidity was from 5.6%rh to 41.7%rh. Then, to obtain the fundamental data about the passengers' thermal comfort, a subjective experiment in which 19 subjects participated was carried out. The subjects rode a high speed train stationed at a rolling stock center, and they experienced the temperature changing approximately in the observation range in the field survey and answered questionnaires about their thermal comfort. Furthermore, in order to widely utilize the findings of the experiment, the relationships between the thermal index called SET* and the subjective evaluation values were analyzed. As a result, it was indicated that the percentage of the subjects dissatisfied with the thermal environment was 20% at a SET* of 27.2℃, and above the SET*, it began to increase suddenly. Finally, the results of the experiment were compared with those obtained in a previous study in summer. The results of the comparison suggested that even at the same SET*, the thermal comfort was different depending on the seasons.

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There had been certain passenger complaints, the factor of which was assumed to be temperature irregularity in train cabins. To improve this, it was necessary to simulate conditions within the passenger cabin in the design phase. This simulation technology had been recently used. In this study, simulation of the thermal environment in the cabin of a commercial train by simulation using the computation fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and the human thermal model was conducted to achieve a comfortable thermal environment in the cabin of a commuter train. Psychological response under the environment was predicted as well; and the respective precision of reproduction and predictability were verified. As a result of comparing the measured values with the calculated values of the thermal environment in the cabin, it was found to be possible to reproduce the interior wind speed, temperature and humidity that changed in time series with precision required for the prediction of thermal sensation. And, the error in predicted thermal sensation from the reproduced value of thermal environment was one on a scale of nine. From the above, it was confirmed that the thermal environment of the cabin of a commuter train with passengers could be simulated, and that thermal sensation under such an environment could be predicted with practical accuracy.

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Performance analytics have successfully been implemented in sports, education and business & commerce. This paper presents data analysis that is intended to reduce energy consumption in the rail sector by evaluating the performance of drivers on a 750v DC network in Great Britain. Services on the Merseyrail Northern Line, to and from Hunts Cross to Southport, were picked out from data recorded on an instrumented British Rail Class 508, for the three month period September to November 2011. Aggression metrics during the acceleration period and deceleration period were classified for each run as well as energy consumption and running time, this was then used to group runs into distinct clusters. Clustering represents driver performance for the three month period which can be used to demonstrate a driver culture that exists within a relatively small group of driver personal. Driver instruction can be improved by evaluating performance data which can be used to reduce energy consumption by 10% on the observed line.

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Reduction of the electricity consumption of the railway vehicle is an urgent problem of JR East. We performed the measurement and analysis about run energy of the Shinkansen which ran high speed and a long distance this time. And we clarified behavior such as the electricity for all units in the train set. The measurement utilized an intelligent function of Shinkansen train information management system (S-TIMS) of E5 series. Furthermore, we attached an integrating wattmeter to the inside of the converter inverter and attached a current sensor in the main transformer to grasp a pantograph point current exactly.

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There are many problems in a sharp curve negotiation such as large lateral force, squeal noises and excessive wear of wheel flange and rail gauge corner. To solve these problems, a single axle steering truck has been developed by Tokyo Metro and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, and Tokyo Metro adopted this newly developed steering bogie for the new train series 1000 for Ginza Line. Previous study has not clarified advantages of a steering bogie about running resistance and power consumption. This report shows comparison between a steering bogie and a conventional bogie about curving performance with a full scale bogie on roller rigs.

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West Japan Railway Company has been developing technologies for effective use of the regenerated energy in order to reduce power consumption (Energy storage system, Power conversion device, etc).These developments effect of reducing the power consumption has been confirmed. However, the effect did not necessarily accord with the expected values. To estimate the effect is to model the electrical circuit from the substation, the simulation for sequentially calculating the power consumption of the vehicle based on the operating diagram and driving operation is enabled. we reveal the impact on the power consumption by the vehicle performance and driving operation and the power supply path, is working on the development of the simulator integrated that reflects the computational model of each field. In developing, in order to grasp the electrical reality, we performed a simultaneous measurement of the power consumption in vehicles and the substations. From the results, the total current of substations and the current of a vehicle were roughly match, examination circuit is properly configured. Furthermore, in 2014 to rectify the accuracy problems of the voltage sensor and the examination was carried out again. In addition, we also performed examination in another line section where conditions are different, the acquired basic data of the simulator development.

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In Europe, there is a trend of more usage of reusable energy as well as a price increase in electricity, therefore trends in renewables as well as high energy costs show significant consideration toward energy consumption reduction in many European countries. In this circumstance, Toshiba is in works with Nomad Tech, whom possess an original telemaintenance technology for a train's energy reduction method. Toshiba has performed eco-driving trial runs with Nomad Tech to confirm the efficiency of eco-driving assistant system and eco-driving running profile to reduce energy consumption for operation. The result of the trial run was that average energy savings of 17% (10-23%) for Sao Bento and 6% (1-10%) for Ca?de had been achieved. Thanks to Eco-driving assistant system and the eco-driving running profile, the variations of total running times decreased and the total energy consumption also decreased.

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One method of saving energy on the railroad is energy-saving operation of electric railway vehicles. However, there have been only a few reports on the benefits of energy-saving operation when put into practical use. JR West has been promoting energy-saving operation to further improve railway energy efficiency. In this paper, we report on the effectiveness of practical energy-saving operation methods and the results of applying them to the actual train schedule. First, we studied changing the train operation method while keeping the journey time as-is. Our approach to energy-saving operation studied in this paper is to reduce energy consumption by shortening the powering time and keeping the same journey time as conventional operation methods by increasing deceleration by braking. Next, to estimate the effects of energy-saving operation by shortening the powering time, we analyzed data from commercial trains to understand the relationship of their powering time, powering energy and energy consumption. The results show that shortening the powering time can reduce the powering energy and consequently the energy consumption. Next, we estimated the effects of a reduction of powering energy with energy-saving operation by shortening the powering time in a simulation. The results of the simulation show that shortening the powering time lowers the maximum velocity, resulting in lower powering energy. Next, to estimate the effects of energy-saving operation on actual lines, we carried out a test run. The results show that energy-saving operation can reduce 22.8% powering energy. As it has been demonstrated that this energy-saving operation method can save energy, we have promoted the adoption of energy-saving operation methods among our train drivers. After promoting the adoption of such energy-saving operation methods to our drivers, we collected data on the effects. On one particular line, we achieved an 11.5% reduction in energy consumption compared with conventional operation methods.

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DC-Electric railways offer advantages in convenience, mass transportation performance, and being a green form of transport. In this paper, a rapid train service is considered for improving the quality of railway services and providing an eco-friendly performance. The main consideration of this study is the installation of a rapid service in a line without passing tracks, which effectively improves the total traveling time of passengers, and saves energy through greater efficiency. In order to install a rapid service in a conventional schedule that consists only of local train stops, one of two timetables is chosen to be replaced by a rapid service. The passing stations for a rapid service are determined with the use of mixed integer programming, which is a method of mathematical optimization. For this calculation, a sectional flow of passengers is analyzed, and a discrete origin and destination (OD) table is proposed. The resulting optimized timetable is presented, where unpopular stations are not necessary chosen as a passing station, because this calculation is based on the sectional flow of passengers. This means that the passing stations should be determined through an analysis of the OD table, rather than the number of passengers that board or alight. Finally, the consumption of energy is compared between local trains and rapid trains that use optimized scheduling. Running curves are calculated in each case, and the energy saved through the efficiency of rapid trains is shown to be 24.7%. This is because the amount of accelerating and decelerating time is reduced. This energy saving will be increased if the number of passengers who use the rapid trains increases.

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Railway companies and electronics manufacturers have been dealing with various energy-saving activities, such as improving efficiency of regeneration brakes that uses the braking force as the power source, and modification of vehicle configurations along with various efforts for safer, higher speed and further comfortable railway system(Fukazawa, et al., 2010 and Seki, 2011). Since 2012, Tokyo Metro and Mitsubishi Electric have carried out field tests repeatedly for energy-saving operation control using the Automatic Train Operation system (ATO) and ensured that the power consumption reduced at the maximum by approx. 18% during the test run according to the speed profile, and no less than 10% in commercial operation which involves the approaching and recovery operations. Based on the result, we are currently implementing energy-saving activities to some of the commercial lines, and in the future we are planning to further analyze long term field data (Yoshimoto, et al., 2009 and Yamamoto, et al., 2012). In addition, authors considered proceeding with technical-field tests to optimize the train control mechanisms' performance using the self-learning function of the vehicle characteristics as an attempt to measure higher operation performances. This self-learning function aims to follow up to the changes of braking characteristics of the vehicle due to external factors, and to maintain the stop position accuracy despite such changes. This function also improves the tracking performance of the speed profiles by considering the energy-saving effect, providing further time allowance, and making passengers feel more comfortable while boarding The summary outlines of energy-saving operation control and the self-learning function of the vehicle characteristics are introduced in this paper.

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In recent years, the concern over an effective energy saving measures has risen. To reduce the environmental impact of railway, electric energy storage systems have been installed to some substations in East Japan Railway Company (JR-EAST). The research of electric energy storage system mounted Nickel metal hydride battery modules (Ni-MH storage system) was examined for effective utilization of regenerative braking power. This experimental verification test was performed at Kori substation, on Ome-line in JR-EAST. In this paper, as one of the examination results, the charge evaluation of Ni-MH storage system is explained. As for this examination at Kori substation, this storage system was charged about 60-80% directly from rectifier, not from regenerative power (it is called "direct charge"). It became clear that direct charge amounts depend on regenerative current. In this respect, to increase regenerative current, the supply voltage, in other words, DC bus voltage at Kori substation was decreased. Consequently, decreased DC bus voltage made regenerative current double, and it made direct charge from rectifier decreased almost 50% in comparison with usual condition.

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Recently, many railway companies have introduced a number of applications of renewable energy such as solar power, wind power. Such energy is converted to AC commercial power and used for railway grids or commercial power grids. However, renewable energy cannot be used for railway vehicles directly because such energy has a tendency to fluctuate according to meteorological conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to design a stable power supply system to make renewable energy usable. Recent years have witnessed an advance in an energy storage unit technology. In this study, we propose a new power supply system using renewable energy and an energy storage system for DC electrified railways. We have introduced "renewable energy modeling system" for this study. The rectifier part converts from AC 210V to DC 283V, and the chopper part converts from DC 283 V to the DC terminal voltage of the energy storage unit. Renewable power can be simulated by boosting terminal voltage. The boosting range is controlled by the "renewable energy model control system". The control system can simulate various characteristics of renewable energy power. We have conducted experimental tests of the system by using actual energy storage systems with lithium-ion capacitors, the renewable energy modeling system, and a test line. This paper outlines the control methods of the system, and the results of comparative tests by three control methods.

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Fuel cell hybrid vehicles are an attractive option for non-electrified railway networks. A number of studies and research vehicles have shown that fuel cell technology has a place in the rail industry, the key vehicles being the JR East New Energy Train and the Japanese RTRI FC/BAT hybrid that were successfully tested in the mid-2000s. Since then fuel cell traction has diminished somewhat, with the main focus of the technology being the automotive sector. This is largely related to the high cost of fuel cells with adequate power output and problems with hydrogen storage. This paper will discuss these issues and possible solutions as well as giving a general description of a novel fuel cell powertrain project in the UK.

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West Japan Railway Company (JR WEST) has been developing battery-powered trains for the purpose of decreasing the negative environmental impact of diesel rail-cars in non-electrified sections of track. Storage battery systems need to be of a large capacity in order to supply all the required electric power for the propulsion of the rail-cars in these sections. However, installation space is limited due to the size of trains. Therefore, high integration and high capacity at the same time are needed to pursue stable operation. In order to solve this problem, by choosing battery cells with a high energy density, storage battery systems were arranged in two different configurations: Type A has flat voltage characteristics, and type B has linear voltage characteristics. A rise in the temperature of the system may occur due to the improvement in the energy density of these batteries. That may affect the safety and lifespan of the system. Therefore, a thermal simulation and an examination using an actual model were conducted to get a grasp of the thermal properties of the system. In this report, we introduce an outline of our battery system and the results obtained from studying cooling methods.

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It is necessary to reduce aerodynamic noise, when increasing the maximum operation speed of Shinkansen. In particular, aerodynamic noise from pantographs is a major aerodynamic noise source. In this study, we focused on aerodynamic noise from the upper part of pantograph, which is difficult to reduce with pantograph noise insulation panels. To investigate the noise generation mechanism, we conducted numerical simulation and analyzed the contribution of each noise source. From the analysis, we found that within a frequency range of 200Hz to 700Hz noise from the pantograph head support took up a dominant share of noise within the upper part of the pantograph. In addition it was found that the strong pressure fluctuation causing the noise from the pantograph head support was generated by interference between flow around the pantograph head and flow around the pantograph head support. To reduce pressure fluctuation, we conducted numerical simulations for some shapes by changing the positional relationship of the pantograph head and pantograph head support. From the above findings, we proposed an improved shape that embeds the pantograph head into the pantograph head support. By applying the "improved shape", noise from the pantograph head support was reduced over a wide frequency range and the strong pressure fluctuation on the pantograph head support that was observed in "standard shape" was reduced. We confirmed that the improved shape reduced the noise contribution ratio of the pantograph head support below a frequency of 800 Hz, and reduced the overall noise level of the upper part of pantograph by approximately 1dB.

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The objective of this research is to assess aerodynamic noise sources and the wind velocity conversion of the similarity law in increasing wind velocity. We measured the radiated aerodynamic noise from a cylinder with/without periodic holes and a pantograph with/without a sound insulating plate in the low noise high-speed wind tunnel. The background noise of the wind tunnel, at over 200km/h, becomes to be proportional to the eighth power of wind velocity from the sixth power. On the other hand, the noise level of the cylinder, up to 420km/h, is in proportion to the sixth power of the wind velocity, as dipole sound source. And the noise reduction effect of the change of the flow structure by periodic holes also continues. However, the noise level of the pantograph model with the sound insulating plate is in proportion to lower than the sixth power of wind velocity in contrast to the pantograph model itself. This causes that the noise reduction effect of the sound insulating plate is underestimated at the noise level conversion of wind velocity. These results show that the cylinders and the pantograph model increases still in proportion to the sixth power as dipole sound source. However, it is found that the noise level of objects with sound insulating structure is proportional to lower than the sixth power of wind velocity and there is a possibility that the estimated noise level by the wind velocity conversion is different from the actual noise level.

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Aerodynamic noise increases with the sixth power of the running speed. As the speed increases, aerodynamic noise becomes predominant and begins to be the main noise source at a certain high speed. As a result, aerodynamic noise has to be focused on when designing new high speed trains. In order to perform the aerodynamic noise optimization, the equivalent continuous sound pressure level has been firstly introduced in the present paper, which could take all the far field observation probes into consideration. The Non-Linear Acoustics Solver (NLAS) approach has been utilized for acoustic calculation. With the use of Kriging surrogate model, a multi-objective optimization of the streamlined shape of high speed trains has been performed, which takes the noise level in the far field and the drag of the whole train as the objectives. In order to efficiently construct the Kriging model, the cross validation approach has been adopted. Optimization results reveal that both the equivalent continuous sound pressure level and the drag of the whole train are reduced in a certain extent, indicating that it is feasible to perform aerodynamic noise optimization for high speed trains with the use of Kriging surrogate model.

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The analysis of systems' modelling methods, means of models' description and research of software technologies as well, all of those combined led to development of railroad automatic and control simulation models. The complexity of these simulation models is due to the inherently high-tech and multi-level system control technology of the railway stations. The models allow for research of equipment functionality and facility testing. Based on thorough evaluation of implemented algorithms, the simulation model is able to provide practical recommendations pertaining to the improvement of workplace safety. The main concept of simulation model and its artificial world design is creation of multi-layered inter-linked data structure of complex system. This structure consists of such modeling data types as landscaping (textures, altitude maps-either fictional or actual ones, obtained from Geographic Information System), railroad sectors and stations (railway lines and splines, incline maps, signals etc.), railway traffic (facilities and traffic maps), and systems of centralized traffic and dispatch controls. The AutoCAD system was chosen as the main design tool for the development of a railway segment simulation model. CAD is very user-friendly and easy to interact with as it supports OLE (object linking and embedding) and COM (Component Object Model) and contains a rich libraries of component files and prototypes. The training simulator software module uses AutoCAD graph data and creates a database for the imitation model. Other modules adapt the data to the specific systems being modeled. The automation of data structuring, along with a multi-level approach to models' composition, has allowed for more flexibility in the modelling process and eliminated routine procedures associated with data configuration. It has simplified and quickened the process of preparation and tuning the models of those particular railway sections and their tech systems, which really require to be studied and researched.

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In order to automate rescheduling, the railway system must be properly modelled to perform evaluation and optimization. The authors' research group have proposed the Mimic Panel State Model (MPSM), which is a model that can couple visual intuitiveness with underlying mathematical foundation. MPSM was first considered as a mathematical expression of the information shown on the mimic panel. MPSM is expressed by Petri nets (PTN). The state (Mimic Panel state (MPS)) is the marking of PTN expressing the MPSM. It will change according to the movement of trains. The set of all possible MPS is called a state space. Using state queues as chromosomes, Genetic Algorithms (GA) can be applied to the optimization of rescheduling problems using the MPSM. However, in Simple GA (SGA) shown in many textbook explanations of GA, chromosomes are fixed-length binaries, and the possible genes are binary 0 and 1 only. Using state queues as chromosomes mean that they are variable-length and all MPS in the state space can be genes. Therefore, careful design of crossover and mutation operations is necessary for the application of GA to MPSM, as most of the next-generation chromosomes generated from the current generation chromosomes using carelessly defined operations may become "not valid", resulting in poor calculating performance. Simple experiment has been performed on a simplified railway line model with five stations, in which two trains make return travels between the terminals at both ends of the line. Calculations over a 100 generations have shown that the fitness (both average and best) values decrease as the GA process goes on, proving that MPSM can be utilised to optimization of train rescheduling problems.

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In order to analyze situations of delay propagation in urban railways where trains are running densely, it is required to simulate the detailed movement of trains between stations considering the interaction between trains. At present, two simulation models are known - the macroscopic simulation model and the microscopic simulation model. The macroscopic simulation is not appropriate for this purpose because they only give the arrival and departure times and do not show the movements between stations and the interaction between signaling systems and trains. Thus, the microscopic simulation has to be used. The microscopic simulation, however, has a drawback that the simulation speed is very low. In this paper, we introduce a train traffic simulation algorithm that can simulate not only arrival and departure times of trains but their detailed movement between stations. The algorithm is designed as an extension of the longest path based macroscopic simulation algorithm so that it can deal with running times for each block section. In order to get realistic simulation results, we have introduced an idea to dynamically change the weights of arcs based on an estimation of the signal aspects. Thus, we can simulate trains' movement between stations reflecting the interaction between consecutive trains.

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The train traffic operations are done automatically without any manual operation in a normal situation. But once some abnormality like accident occurs, that induces traffic congestion and suddenly requires many complex manual operations like situation grasping, rescheduling, relevant communications, instruction and notification. These situations may cause operational mistake and delay enhancement. Therefore, the West Japan Railway Company is developing an efficient operator assistance system in cases of traffic congestion.The"Real-time Train Traffic Operator Assistance System" will support operation tasks in abnormal situation following three phases. (1) Situation grasp This system corrects abnormal situation status data and indicates the situation objectively to the operator and prompts next action which shall be done as quickly as appropriate especially for the initial instruction and treatment. (2) Train traffic diagram rescheduling According to a traffic obstacle area and period, this system automatically proposes rescheduled train diagram pattern. Based on this proposal, some minor modification by the operator may be proceeding. (3) Instruction and notification sending to the driver This system automatically picks up the related trains to instruct and notify when entering covered area and sends the instruction and notification to the train driver's display through an on-board to ground communication line. This very complex and versatile system shall be proven as stable and certainty operational in any case of the abnormal situations. But it is impossible to realize the abnormal situation in the actual operation field. Also it is essential to reflect the operators' intention and improvement proposal such as display visibility and operability for human machine interface. For these reasons, we are also making the "real-time traffic operation simulator" which simulates overall traffic operation activity in case of the abnormal situation in realistic. It assures objective and quantitative total system evaluation and assessment.

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This study proposes the track condition monitoring technique using car-body acceleration easily measured by an in-service vehicle for the sake of increase in safety of railway transportation. This paper demonstrates the possibility to estimate the track irregularities of conventional railway tracks using car-body acceleration only. In an inverse problem to estimate track irregularity from car-body acceleration, a Kalman filter was applied to solve the inverse problem. This estimation technique is utilized to estimate the track irregularity in longitudinal level (track geometry and 10m-chord versine). The Kalman filter became able to apply to inverse analysis by expressing track geometry in a random walk model, and having incorporated the model in an equation of state. The estimation technique can support a change of the vehicle velocity by selecting impulse response in the measurement equation for the vehicle velocity. Estimation results revealed that the proposed estimation technique is effective for track condition monitoring with acceptable accuracy for conventional railways.

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To enhance the safety and reliability of railway transportation, one of the most important tasks is to check track conditions frequently and accurately. This paper describes a track condition monitoring technique using car-body motions of shinkansen vehicles. A dynamic programming (DP) filter and a Kalman filter were applied in an inverse problem to estimate track geometry in longitudinal level from vertical car-body acceleration and pitching rate measured by an in-service vehicle, proposed solutions were found to be useful for estimating track geometry in longitudinal level with precision even if the vehicle speed is changed.

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This paper summarizes observations on a new development of a compact size onboard device for condition monitoring of railway tracks. Track irregularities are estimated from a vertical and a lateral accelerations and roll rate of a car body. Rail corrugation is detected by cabin noise according to spectral peak calculation. A GPS system and a map-matching algorithm are used to pinpoint the location of faults on tracks. The device is driven by a Li-ion battery for 6 hours or by outside power source. Accelerometers, rate gyroscope and GPS were designed to give higher performance. A microphone may be added outside if condition monitoring of rail corrugation is necessary. Collected data are usually kept in inside un-volatility memory (SSD) or an SD card. Data transfer module transfers the collected data to a data server via cellular phone. The compact size onboard device provides regular monitoring of tracks in order to sustain railway systems and secure the safety.

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The axial force of a continuous welded rail(CWR) causing buckling and break of the rail should be controlled appropriately and adequately. In order to measure the axial force of the CWR quantitatively and in a simple manner, a method of presuming the axial force based on detection of the change of the natural frequency according to the axial force is developed. However, the accuracy of this method is insufficient because not only the axial force but the variations of track conditions such as the state of the rail and the rail fastening devices affect the natural frequency of the rail. In this paper, to investigate the influence of the variations in track conditions and its correction method for accurate measurement, we develop a finite element track model. Numerical experiments show that the wear of the rail head and the variation of the sleeper bays in the range of approximately 30 meters around the measuring point affect the natural frequency. Furthermore, we measured the axial force and the natural frequency of the CWR under various temperature conditions in an actual track and compared them with the numerical results. Through these analyses, it was confirmed that the axial force is in proportion to the natural frequency. Moreover, the consideration of the wear of the rail head and the variation of the sleeper bays in the track makes it possible to reproduce the difference of the absolute value of the natural frequency between two measurement points. By contrast, the sensitivity of the natural frequency to the axial force in the experiment is higher than that of the numerical results. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the experimental results in winter is higher than that in summer.

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Spalling is the most serious problem in maintenance of subway tunnels on operation. Voids forming on or near the concrete surface are often considered as signs of degradation which induce spalling. However, it is difficult to detect these voids by visual inspection, as the voids have no cracks or other signs of irregularities and are not visible from the surface. Thus, we studied a non-destructive, contact-free method using infrared thermometry to detect these non-visible voids. The subject tunnel is a box type tunnel, constructed by cut and cover tunneling method and made of reinforced concrete. The third rail method is applied for the line. The subject of the study is 2km length of a railroad line in operation. We performed the following next tests. Analyses on change of environmental temperature in tunnel by taking thermal image photographs of all subject sections and measuring the temperature of the inner tunnel and concrete wall surface at 13 selected points. Analyses on environmental temperature that allows the detection of non-visible voids by taking thermal image photographs seasonally, during off-hour time and observation of thermal image photographs for 6 days on fixed points. Confirmation of measurement accuracy to detect non-visible voids with thermal image photographs by comparison with the results of hammering inspections at the selected points. Analyses of the condition of detectable non-visible voids by non-destructive tests and micro-destructive tests at selected points. Investigation on the possibility of the application of thermal image photographs to business maintenance work.

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A large number of customers use JR East stations every day, and if station equipment has a failure, it is an inconvenience to those customers. The conventional maintenance consists of periodic maintenance in which inspections are conducted periodically and the after-the-fact maintenance in which maintenance is conducted after a failure has occurred. Introduction of the Suica system in 2001 made it possible to establish an inter-station network, and the introduction of the TOMAS in 2003 has enabled the easy detection of the operating condition of each piece of equipment. By making use of error data which is a part of the operating condition information, we began studying the maintenance that performs inspections before a failure occurs. By analyzing the error data, we found that specific error data appears before an occurrence of a failure; and we analyzed the relationship among the number of times error occurred, the period of occurrence, and the actual failure for each error data. By doing so, we established a condition-based maintenance in which characteristics of occurrence of error are monitored and an inspection is conducted before a failure occurs. Hereafter, the condition-based maintenance which uses the error data is referred to as TMM (Tomas Monitoring Management). As the result of introduction of the TMM, the number of failures was reduced by approximately 30 percent at stations where TMM has been implemented, which proves that the system can be provided for practical use. In this report, the authors will describe the introduction process of the TMM, method of analyzing error data, and the method of formulating efficient and optimal inspections. *TOMAS is a system which accumulates data indicating the operating condition of each piece of equipment.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between mechanical stability of rock block and its vibration characteristics for arbitrary shape and material properties of rock block so as to propose a new method of rock stability evaluation by measuring the vibration of rocks using a remote vibration measuring system. To detect unstable rock masses that are at risk of falling onto railroads, research on safe, efficient, and quantitative evaluation of such risk using a laser Doppler velocimeter (U-Doppler) capable of contactless remote measurement is conducted. In the study, block models representing rocks with different geometries, masses and material properties were used to assess the effects of rock shapes and scales based on the relationship between the dominant frequency and mechanical stability of the model through 2-D FEM analysis. The result of the analysis shows that the relationship between the dominant frequency and mechanical stability is affected by aspect ratio of rock block and dominant frequency reaches a peak when the aspect ratio is around 0.6-0.7 for same stability of the rock block. To further verify the applicability of this block-model simulation, another model representing actual rock-mass geometry randomly defined from 2D-profiled spectra for on-site rocks was included in the analysis. Using this model, the relationship between the dominant frequency and mechanical stability was simulated to determine its acceptability based on comparison of the results.

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West Japan Railway Company is working on the development of a bridge maintenance management system that enables it to accumulate chronological data and calculate the exact quantities of deteriorations and repairs using photographs and 3D models. It is aimed at constructing a base system that enables the maintenance cycle to be operated successively. The developed system encompasses three major functions: 1) effectively generate 3D bridge models of various structure types; 2) associate photographs acquired by digital camera to 3D models; 3) calculate and report quantities of deteriorations and repairs. Regarding the first function, representative bridge structure types are listed, and selecting a template model and entering the length of each component can generate 3D models of these types. Complex structure models can be generated by importing 3D CAD data. Regarding the second function, photographs can be placed onto 3D space conveniently by referring to position information obtained during the taking of photographs. When a tablet computer with a tilt sensor is used for photographing, the tilt angles of photographs are also referenced. In addition, it is possible to precisely replace a photograph, by entering characteristic points that correspond to the edge of a component, between a digital camera image and a 3D model. Regarding the third function, by drawing the shape of a deteriorated and repaired part, which has a unique ID on a photograph, the part can be represented on a 3D model. This is possible because photographs in 3D space have position coordinates. Consequently, it is possible not only to calculate the exact quantities of deteriorations and repairs but also to chronologically track the changes in a deteriorated part.

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Tokyo Metro has been studying chloride-induced deterioration of subway tunnels by investigating tunnel bodies and taking countermeasure methods. From the resent results of the study, it had become clear that chloride-induced deterioration of subway tunnels almost always occurs at boundaries of areas leaking with chloride. For this reason, we studied potential areas that have chloride-induced deterioration in cut&cover tunnels by investigating the positional relation between tidal rivers and chloride leakage areas. As the result, it was found that the areas are 50m or more below the edges of tidal rivers. Then, seen from the viewpoint of advection-diffusion of chloride in the underground water, we verified the validity of the result by underground density flow analyses.

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The 3D obstacle sensor for Yamanote Line platform screen door is the sensor which considered safety in particular because of environmental resistance and an overcrowded railway based on the installation environment as the outside installation. In order to realize stable transport along the congested railway section and ensure the safety of customers, we have picked out points, which are [1] the maximal detection of risk factors, [2] using in outdoor environment, and [3] easiness of doing maintenance ; and we have formulated necessary specifications to realize the obstacle sensors for platform screen doors for the purpose of solving those points. In this report, the authors will describe the required specifications and software processing to realize the specifications.

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Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. has 9 lines; total length of the lines is 195.1kilometer. The total length of tunnels is 166.5km, 85% of all lines. Then, rail corrosion occurs in some part of the tunnel and rail brakes happen due to the corrosion in some cases.For the purpose of prevention of rail break, we investigated fully the rail corrosion on the site for 3 years, from 2011 to 2013, by visual inspection and palpation. The investigation section was selected the places where were recognized the existence of many rail corrosion exist.For identifying section where rail corrosion easily occurs, we made a rail corrosion occurring map. In the map, results of the investigation for rail corrosion and data of the rail exchanges are visualized at 25m intervals. Moreover, we set a score of each rail corrosion and summed up scores in the 25m section. Precisely, a point system of rail corrosion state was made. Using the data, we confirmed influence of difference between inner rail and outer rail, between straight line and curved line, and distance between rail and concrete bed on rail corrosion. For all data, following knowledge were cleared. 1. When distance between rail and concrete bed is large, occurrence of rail corrosion is restrained. 2. Rail corrosion easily occur on rail straight line or inner rail with small distance between rail and concrete bed, and placed near river. We have to exchange rails periodically under the condition.

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Recently, various detection systems have been used in various scenes for their respective purposes. They are all different systems. Therefore, the authors proposed a new railway monitoring system by combining the 90GHz band millimeter wave and Radio over Fiber (RoF) technology so as to be able to use the system in various scenes universally. As the millimeter-waves can use a wide bandwidth, high precision detection is possible when they are used for the radar. And, because the radar control units can be grouped in one place by introducing the RoF technology, it is possible to build this system at a low cost. First of all, as the 90GHz band has never been used in the railway environment, the authors carried out the propagation test of the 90GHz band millimeter-wave. As a result, the characteristics of the attenuation of 90GHz band were approximately inversely proportional to the square of the distance and approximately proportional to the amount of rainfall. Then, In order to realize the proposed system, a prototype radar system was made and a field test using the prototype radar system was carried out. It was confirmed that the prototype radar system could detect the rail-way structures, such as the mast, fence, train and building, and walking humans in the track. From these test results, it is expected that the railway monitoring system using the 90GHz band millimeter-wave and RoF technology can be utilized.

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We are now conducting the research and development toward the ICT-driven innovation of maintenance (Smart Maintenance). One of them is the development of overhead line equipment monitoring system, which enables reading condition data of the equipment from operating train. In this paper, to estimate this system, a communication test was conducted between the reader device on Multipurpose Experimental Train (MUE-Train) and the RFID tag with temperature sensors on the feeder connecting points and the RFID tag with displacement sensors on the Spring Tension Balancer (STB). As a result, the strike rate of communication was 99.2%. Further, we developed a portable reader for the purpose of collecting data from a train instead of the reader device on the train. Using the portable reader, we confirmed that the strike rate of communication test was 98.5%. The communication test was conducted from the driver's cab of operating train, because the system can be used in patrolling inspection on a train. By collecting condition data from various overhead line equipment through this system, detecting of signs of failure and predetermined repairing are enabled, and safety and stability transportation can be further improved. We try to challenge for the Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) by applying this system.

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In general, "derailment coefficient (Q/P)" was measured by the instrumented wheel sets, named "PQ wheel sets", as an index of running safety. From the view point of safety assessment, the derailment coefficient should be measured every day, but it is impossible to do so due to some technical problems of PQ wheel sets (for reasons including strength and durability). In order to solve the problem of PQ wheel sets. Tokyo Metro introduced PQ monitoring bogies equipped with non-contact gap sensors into commercial lines from 2009 instead of PQ wheel sets, which enables continuous measurement of derailment coefficients during service operations. They were introduced into Marunouchi Line for the first time and into Tozai Line and Chiyoda Line after that. As one of the advantages of continuous measuring of derailment coefficients on commercial lines, all curves data on these commercial lines can be obtained every day. An enormous volume of measured data has been accumulated, and methods of application have been considered for these data. In this paper, examples for application methods of accumulated data which are measured by PQ monitoring bogies are mentioned. That is, discussions are included for positional changes along a curve and daily and monthly changes in a maximum and/or a mean value of derailment coefficients.

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A measuring method of rail axial load based on vibration modes is discussed. In particular, the influence of the thermal dependency of rubber pads on the natural frequency of the pinned-pinned mode is investigated. To this end, in the numerical track model a rotational spring is attached at each rail support. Through numerical experiments, it is found that the thermal dependency of the rotational stiffness dominates the sensitivity of the resonant frequency to the axial load, and its consideration is essential to simulate the dynamic nature of tracks. Furthermore, the identification of the temporal equivalent rotational stiffness reflecting the rail pad and fastener is attempted. Numerical results show that the identification using the ratio of bending moment to rotation angle of rail measured around the rail support has the best performance. In this case, the measurement with error of 0.1% is required to assure the identification accuracy of ±50kN.

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Recently, big data analytics has proceeded in various field according to the development of information technology and analysis tools. However, there are few examples of big data analytics in the field of railway mechanical systems, because the vehicle performance are evaluated by motion analysis or experiment under the specific conditions. By contrast, condition monitoring systems are introduced in the railway systems, and these monitoring systems enable the big data to be accumulated during commercial operation. In this paper, the big data of running records in railway systems are analyzed by using naive bayes classifier, one of the method of big data analytics, and individualities of railway vehicles are identified.

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To ensure the safety of the railway operation, inclination angle of piers are constantly being monitored at risk of scour under flood conditions with scour detectors. Once that inclination exceeds a predetermined value, train operation control such as stopping trains and limiting speed is conducted. Scour may, however, gradually proceed without inclination of piers, with inclination suddenly occurring at a certain point, so constant monitoring of the soundness of piers is desirable. From this perspective, we have developed a new scour detector that has a monitoring function for pier soundness based on indicators such as peak frequency of microtremors or displacement of train-induced vibration, in addition to the inclination detection function. Furthermore, we installed the new scour detectors on the pier of several bridges, and confirmed its possibility to capture a change in the trend of the health of the pier. In this paper, we will introduce an overview of this new scour detector.

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Rolling stock has generally been inspected and maintained on the basis of preventive maintenance. However, the reliability of sensors and information technology has drastically improved and, with this background, the objective of this research is to develop a temperature condition monitoring system for the bogies of Shinkansen cars. The conventional temperature measurement system for railway vehicle can only monitor the temperature of the axle boxes and wheels. On the other hand, the developed temperature monitoring system should be able to monitor the temperature of other parts of high-speed Shinkansen bogies such as gear boxes and couplings which are equipped in the central part of the bogie. This paper mainly describes the overview of the newly developed temperature monitoring system for Shinkansen bogies for further improvement of reliability of high-speed trains and efficiency of the inspection of railway vehicles. Also, the characteristics of some main components of this monitoring system are presented in this paper. Especially, it is confirmed that the novel thermometer developed for this system has high response performance enough to high-speed railway measurement. Next, the prototype of the developed temperature monitoring system is installed on the real track of the Tokaido Shinkansen for a long term to examine the reliability of the device prior to practical use. Additionally, the algorithms for the field data analysis obtained from this monitoring system are developed based on the statistical representative values and multivariate analysis. Through the data analysis, it is verified that the scheme can be applied successfully for the reduction of normal data variations.

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In order to decrease the lateral force generated in the railway vehicles in the curving sections, a simple steering system for the bolsterless bogie was developed. It is a simple steering bogie system that does not adopt complex bogie structure, and considered to be equipped with the function which prevents reverse steering movement. The most important feature of the developed system is that the system controls the steering force by the relative mechanical movement between the bogie and the car body that pass curving sections. That is, it is not based on the electrical control; the authors have designated this system as a "mechanical pneumatic steering system". This system is composed of pneumatic actuators that are built into mono-links, a mechanical sensing device of the bogie angle made by the relative movement between the bogie and the car body, and a pneumatic valve that works according to the sensing device. The sensing device for mechanical detection of the bogie angle is composed of two universal joints and a connecting rod that is expandable and contractile, but not revolvable. This device is able to transfer only the relative yawing angle between the car body and the bogie, and the other movement can be canceled by the motion of joints and the connecting rod. The mechanical pneumatic steering system with such features has been applied to a test bogie, and fundamental running tests were carried out in the test line in Railway Technical Research Institute. As a result, it is found that the average lateral force in a circular curve section with a radius of 160(m) is decreased by about 80% compared with the case where the steering control is not applied. In addition, we confirmed the basic safety of the reverse steering mode, which causes the controller failing.

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In order to improve the curve negotiation performance and running stability at high speeds of railway vehicles, we are developing a practical application of low rigidity and high damping element equipped between axlebox and truckframe. At the beginning, the effect of the longitudinal damping element on running stability was verified by results of calculation using a linear dynamics model of a wheelset and running tests of a 1/5-scale wheelset, which was elastically supported from the ground, on roller rigs. We compared these results and examined the applicability of the theoretical model. As a result, it was confirmed useful for evaluating the running stability. Then, the effect of the longitudinal damping element on running stability was verified by calculation using this analytical model with parameters of a standard high-speed vehicle. It was found that the value of damping coefficient required for reducing to half of the longitudinal suspension stiffness was almost the same as the value of the axle damper which has been in practical use. In addition, the influence of increase in the equivalent conicity due to wear of the wheel tread on the critical speed was examined, in case that the damping is added parallel to axlebox longitudinal spring which has softer stiffness than that of cars in operation. Subsequently, vehicle dynamics simulations were carried out using one car model of Shinkansen vehicles by means of multi-body dynamics software SIMPACK in order to investigate mainly the effect of an axle supporting system with damping elements on the curve negotiation performance.

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