MAROS sensor could boost railway capacity 35 per cent

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Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and ITK Engineering have developed a sensor to determine the exact position of trains, aiming to increase capacities of existing railway networks.

With the help of a sensor, researchers of KIT can determine the precise position of a train and make railway transport more efficient
With the help of a sensor, researchers of KIT can determine the precise position of a train and make railway transport more efficient - Bosch Zünder/Jan Potente

The ‘Magnetic Railway Onboard Sensor’ (MAROS) uses an electromagnetic fingerprint to determine the position of trains. Researchers believe that this could address issues around lacking capacities and frequent delays by allowing for an increased number of trains on the same track within a shorter period of time.

“When the position of a train on a track is determined more precisely and reliably, trains could pass a certain route section at shorter intervals and the capacity per track kilometre would be increased,” said Dr Martin Lauer from KIT’s Institute of Measurement and Control (MRT).

Lauer said that a metal railway track has a type of fingerprint with highly individual marks, which MAROS can recognise to localise trains. He explained that the sensor, attached to the vehicle’s undercarriage, measures an electromagnetic field that is influenced by the ferromagnetic materials of the rails and the materials used for fixing them.

“In particular, variations of the electromagnetic field are measured. In this way, an exact electromagnetic fingerprint can be allocated to every rail section,” Lauer said.

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