Monitoring train performance in case of low adhesion: acquiring knowledge for the development of low adhesion measures

In the Netherlands, more and more passengers use the train and there are increasing demands on the quality of service. There is a need for faster, more reliable and safer transport at lower costs. There is also need for more trains on the same track. Low adhesion (slippery track) affects those needs negatively. A lot of research on low adhesion issues has been carried out and there are many measures already developed, despite of this research and those measures there is still experienced inconvenience by low adhesion. The lack of knowledge about the low adhesion problem is the major reason that the problem still exists. Cause of the limited knowledge about low adhesion is the lack of a measurement instrument to map the low adhesion problem as it occurs in practice. This measurement instrument should not only be able to measure the extent of low adhesion, but also be able to measure data in order to make relations between low adhesion and place, time, measures taken, control by the driver and train performance. To identify those relations well it is necessary to perform a lot of measurements. To get the desired insights five measuring trains have been developed able to measure the above mentioned data. The majority of the measurement data is coming from data already present in the train. Because of this the trains don’t have to be equipped with complex measurement instruments outside the train and therefore it is possible to carry out the measurements with passenger trains running in service. Based on the research the following insights have been obtained: • Brake and acceleration performance on low adhesion. • Where and when low adhesion occurs. • The amount of time in which low adhesion can grow. • Influence of low adhesion on driving time and driving-on-time-punctuality. • Behaviour (acceleration/braking) of the driver in case of low adhesion. • Effectiveness of measures (WSP, traction control, Sandite, magnetic track brake) and the low-adhesion-prediction-model. The research conducted made the low adhesion problem measurable and therefore clear. Based on the obtained insights a lot of solutions are given to reduce inconvenience