Rolling Stock Companies Improve Rail Travel for Customers

Rolling stock companies (ROSCOs) own the actual trains that run on the rails. It is their job to work with the train operating and freight companies to determine the sorts of engines, carriage and trucks required to deliver the desired customer services. Developments in technology have provided Rolling Stock Companies (ROSCOs) with the opportunity to improve the customer experience on modern trains. Seat-back advertising / entertainment and Mobile broadband provision are just two of the ideas that have emerged to improve the passenger environment and generate revenue for Train Operating Companies (TOCs). Wordsworth has involvement in several areas of rolling stock automation, some of which are highlighted below:

Network enabling rolling stock.

 With most systems converging on an Ethernet and TCP/IP based infrastructure it is essential to provide an Ethernet LAN on new and existing carriages. The Industrial Ethernet switches required to facilitate a reliable network must be ruggedized and meet associated rail standards such as EN50155 and EN50121-4. Wordsworth can supply switches suited for use onboard trains and can provide many case studies highlighting previous successful installations in different parts of the world. Our technical team can help with complex fault-tolerant architectures, EMC considerations, training and commissioning support.

Mobile Broadband
With the advent of high speed internet access over the 3G mobile phone networks comes a great opportunity for TOCs (Train Operating Companies) to provide internet connectivity to otherwise unoccupied commuters. This allows rail travel to be sold as a mobile office experience and becomes a favourable alternative to travelling by road.

Provision of Mobile Broadband requires a cellular router with an external antenna communicating with 3G base-stations and an internal antenna providing Wi-Fi coverage. Two-piece solutions comprising a cellular router and a separate rail-approved Wi-Fi Access Point are sometimes used to give greater flexibility over the choice of hardware used.

Maintenance systems
Wordsworth regularly supply data acquisition devices such as data acquisition boards and Ethernet data acquisition modules along with Industrial computers for track geometry and ultrasound systems. Most of these systems are retrofitted to rolling stock hence need to be rugged, vibration-proof and meet stringent EMC requirements. Wordsworth's TANK-101 computer has proved to be particularly popular for this type of application.