The Anonymous Widower

Track Monitoring System To Be Tested On Chiltern Line

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.

This is the first paragraph.

Network Rail is to undertake in-service trials with DB Systemtechnik’s CTM2·0 continuous track monitoring system on a Chiltern Railways MkIII driving van trailer operating in passenger service between London Marylebone and Birmingham.

This seems to me to be a good idea.

• The German system appears to be comprehensive and has been in service for seven years.
• There is a lot of space in the back of a driving van trailer.
• It probably can do much of the work of the New Measurement Train, but more often.

It could surely be applied to other routes.

The picture shows the driving van trailers on the London-ends of a pair of InterCity 225s at King’s Cross.

Some Open Access Operators are also looking at the possibility of running short InterCity 225 sets.

It would also be possible to create extra Measurement Trains, by coupling an instrumented driving van trailer to an appropriate locomotive and a couple of coaches.

As a Control Engineer, who has analysed a lot of data in his working life, it could improve rail safety by testing rail lines more often.

October 25, 2021 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Chiltern Main Line, Driving Van Trailer, InterCity 225, New Measurement Train, Safety