Mednarodni projekti
Rail Car Asset Management
Organizacije (1)
Povzetek
The problem F-MAN is addressing is that rail cargo operators still tend to orientate their strategy in a national framework and on train- (not wagon-) oriented operation. This has a consequence: no yield and cost control of international wagon operation exist. F-Man is concentrating on the development of tools for asset management on those several hundred thousand international cargo wagons. IT tools, including GPS, mobile messaging and Internet based applications, will be developed and used to ensure the traceability and the access to wagon information.On this basis, the following tools will be developed:- On-Board Terminals will collect wagon position and status information and send it to the Operation Centre, according to pre-defined event criteria (Event Messaging);- Artificial Intelligence models will forecast the Expected Time of Arrival;- The Internet-based bid and offer module (F-MAN pool) will reduce the empty returns;- The status-oriented maintenance module will improve the availability of wagons;A Decision support system, based on financial and commercial criteria, will be developed to assist the future Fleet Manager to control his fleet of wagons.The F-MAN functional prototypes will be tested on the European railway network, with wagons from three different Cargo Operators, against some pre-defined objectives.Objectives:This project aims at improving the sustainability of rail freight transport and the competitiveness of Railway Cargo operators (RCO), including the new Rail Undertakings. The objective of F-Man is to provide the RCO-fleet manager with innovative tools to control his international wagon fleet, and to enhance the productivity of wagons.The validation objectives include:- Verification of the tools developed; - User acceptance of the system;- Impacts and Costs-benefits evaluation, with the following quantified targets: Tracing time of less than 5 minutes for 90% of international equipped wagons (against the current best average figure of 30%) and reaching 60% of wagon productivity (against the current best average figure of 40%).Work description:After defining the Users needs and the ensuing Functional requirements for Wagon Fleet Management, the project will develop three main tools (modules), as follows:1. The Tracking System module, composed of On-Board Terminals (OBT) and sensors, and the ground-based information management system. The OBT will be composed of a GNSS receiver combined with a suitable communication system (basically a GSM module, but the ORBCOMM satellite communication system will also be investigated). The OBT information management together with the time table input enables to predict delay information and trigger Event Messages based on pre-defined events/alarms, which the Data processing will rely on.2. The central Data processing module, which communicates on the one hand with the OBTs, on the other hand with the workstations located on the various user premises (using Internet technologies).It will include three software models:- Forecasting Expected Time of Arrival, based on combining OBT data with train control data ahead of the present train position;- F-Man Pool support, through an Internet-based bid and offer application, will help the fleet manager reduce his empty returns based on the transportation tasks (wagon type, destination, time frame);- Status-oriented Maintenance, based on technical availability (e.g. the brake or wheel status) and depot availability, will enhance wagon availability and constitute a database for Asset Management.3. Finally, the Asset management module, a Decision support system based on financial and commercial criteria, will be developed to assist the future Fleet Manager to control his fleet of wagons.Milestones:M1: definition of users needs for an asset controlled Fleet Management.M2: definition of the functional requirements and system architecture.M3: preliminary release of the F-MAN modules.M4: fully developed and verified F-MAN functional
