It is a new sensor that allows the trains to be better located and thus to make train traffic more efficient.
researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have devised a sensor that can determine the position of the train more precisely. Using the sensor, the electromagnetic legacy can be found, which helps pinpoint the train’s position.
The concept is more accurate than GPS and costs less than integrating sensors into the rails. This could increase rail traffic. The automation of rail vehicles appears simpler and, last but not least, rail transport is more climate-friendly. The increase in efficiency also makes this mode of transport more attractive and, above all, freight transport could be increasingly transported by rail.
The faster clocking due to more precise positioning and thus a higher capacity per kilometer of track allow a shorter distance. The name of the system is MAROS, it is an acronym that stands for Magnetic Railway Onboard Sensor. To prepare for the mission, the route must have been traveled once. The sensor data is then collected centrally.
Initial tests in Austria have been promising and they are less error-prone than other systems. So cameras are limited at night or when it snows and GPS signals are only partially available in tunnels or ravines. MAROS allows an additional utilization of the rail network by 35 percent.