Cites Embrace a More Energy Efficient Future Mobility
At this year’s international public transport fair UITP in Geneva, Switzerland, Siemens will be showing the latest developments for integrated, resource-conserving, economical and convenient urban mass transit: on show will be a power control system for rail power supply, energy-storage systems for catenary-free urban transit systems, solutions for the optimum use of rail infrastructure, an IT-based platform for the planning, booking and invoicing of multimodal travel, plus Europe’s first fully electric bus to enter regular service.
Today, demographic change, urbanization and climate change characterize our society and confront us with global challenges. By 2010 more than half of the world’s population were already living in conurbations. Here too, the trend is upwards: Experts are working on the assumption that 90 percent of future population growth will be concentrated in cities. Accordingly, private individual travel is expected to increase by some 2.7 billion journeys per day between 2005 and 2025. The effects of continuously growing mobility requirements within and between urban centers are already discernible. Efficient and sustainable mobility is thus the key area of attention for cities and local communities around the world. Efficient mass transit systems are the key to overcoming gridlock, air pollution and lack of parking spaces, and secure the attractiveness and competitiveness of cities across the world.
In order to remain mobile into the future too, cities need closely networked transport and information systems. Here, Siemens offers a broad solution portfolio, which it will be presenting in Hall 2 (Stand 2A325) at this year’s UITP fair.
Energy-efficient and environmentally sound railway traction power supply solutions
Railway traction power supply systems meet the energy requirements of main-line and passenger services, as well as tram and metro networks. Siemens rail electrification solutions can, for example, transmit recovered braking energy to more remote consumers via medium-voltage grids. The feeding-in of braking energy is also a significant factor in boosting efficiency in the case of energy storage systems.
Siemens will thus be using UITP as a venue for showing its Sitras MES mobile energy storage unit and the hybrid model Sitras HES. Vehicles equipped with these systems require up to 30 percent less energy per year, and emit as much as 80 tonnes less of CO2 than those without energy storage units. The Sitras HES energy storage unit’s hybrid concept combines the advantages of storage technology with the possibilities offered by a traction battery. This enables the realization of environmentally friendly catenary-free short-haul systems that are suitable for integration into every cityscape. Up to 2.5 kilometers of catenary-free operation is possible with the hybrid system.
Attention at the show will also focus on the Vicos RSC power control system, which integrates different Scada (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) applications into a control and monitoring system. As well as an overview of the operating status of the railway traction power supply system, it also offers the possibility of controlling energy consumption in the traction power supply network and of stabilizing operating processes by means of fault and maintenance management.
Siemens is also showcasing the Sitras SCD voltage-limiting device, which is being offered with a mixed-voltage function. This function prevents impermissible voltages occurring in DC railway traction power supply systems if they are influenced by AC systems. The mixed-voltage function meets all requirements in terms of protective measures as laid down in the standard 50122-3, in order to avoid the incidence of impermissible mixed voltages.
Software-based fault management for more capacity on the track
The efficient use of existing rail traffic infrastructures is a challenge for cities throughout the world. With the Siemens Trainguard MT system, the capacity of a metro line can be increased by up to 50 percent while energy consumption is cut by 30 percent. Here too, however, every technical or operational disruption has negative effects on availability and on planned running. Siemens is presenting a software package designed to support rail operators in making the best possible use of all available capacities and resources, and suggests tailor-made solutions for scheduling and maintenance. Decision-making is based on the rail operator’s individual operational and business administration performance metrics and the networking of different working areas.
IT platform for the networking of mobility offerings
To meet the growing demand for transport services, there is a need for new and attractive concepts that simplify intermodal travel and make a switch to public mass transit facilities appealing to travelers. At UITP 2013 Siemens will be presenting an “Integrated Mobility Platform”, which makes it easier for operators to integrate complementary services into their own offering. With the aid of the platform, bundled offerings can be put together which enable multimodal travel to be planned, booked and paid for via a single platform. Journeys can also be optimized from the environmental and economic perspective. Cities and local communities have available to them new instruments of control for ‘green’ transport management and better utilization of existing infrastructures.
Fully electric city buses for environmentally friendly short-haul transport
Bus services – whether the traditional city bus or Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System – are a cornerstone of urban transport. Due to the absence of an internal combustion process, purely electrically powered vehicles create less noise and no local pollutant emissions. Compared with diesel- or gas-powered buses, fuel consumption is some 25 percent lower, thus contributing to improved air quality and living conditions in conurbations.
Siemens is offering innovative and flexible concepts for fully electric urban buses (eBus), as well as eBRT systems that can be integrated into many vehicle chassis, and are thus manufacturer-neutral. The electric buses it has supplied to Vienna’s public transport authority Wiener Linien has made Siemens the first manufacturer in Europe to put fully electric buses into regular urban service. Battery-charging takes place at the terminus and overnight in the depot, via a double pole current collector which uses the existing power network of Wiener Linien. Compared with conventional city buses, the vehicles’ electrical equipment brings with it no limitations in terms of space or functionality for passengers and drivers.
