The project, made possible by the Network Rail Performance Improvement Fund, has seen AMRC engineers work with EMR operations staff to record the rules, processes and timings of train movements to develop a representative model of its Nottingham Eastcroft depot.
Eastcroft provides the day-to-day maintenance of the EMR Regional fleet, which is made up of Class 156, 158 and 170 trains.
The tools create a virtual simulation of activities taking place on the shop floor at the depot and gives the user the ability to identify capacity constraints, model scenarios and rapidly visualise the impact on performance.
According to AMRC, they will enable EMR to plan, stress test and simulate operational scenarios more quickly than by using conventional methods.
In a statement, Richard Gardiner, AMRC senior innovation fellow and sector lead for rail, said: “We are collaborating to assess the application of state-of-the-art process flow simulation tools to assist the efficiency and effectiveness of rail depot operations.
“The AMRC is drawing on its manufacturing intelligence team’s significant expertise in modelling and optimising manufacturing production facilities using a range of tools. These tools create a virtual simulation of activities taking place on the shop floor and give the user the power to identify capacity constraints, model scenarios and rapidly visualise the impact on performance.
“The model incorporates the depot and local Nottingham station roads and accommodates a range of units. It provides a virtual representation of activities in a 24-hour period and assists the current ‘beat-rate’ exercise. This model will add a dimension of scenario planning that was previously difficult and time consuming to accomplish.”
Gardiner continued: “Since usability is a key feature of the project, a user-friendly interface is being developed that allows users to adjust variables and model scenarios without detailed process modelling software knowledge. As a net result of all the features and components of the model, depot operations can be made more efficient with an improved unit availability and better service to the public.”
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