UIC has held the sixth edition of its Digital Awards. In spite of the pandemic, more than thirty applications were received from around the world.
UIC is pleased to announce the winners for 2021:
Productivity category
SMRT Trains Ltd. (SMRT) is a pioneering mass rapid transit operator in Singapore, operating five MRT and LRT lines. A track access management system (TAMS) has been fully implemented on the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) – Singapore’s longest MRT lines – in service since 1987. TAMS is an AI-enabled digital solution designed to digitalise and automate track access allocation with safety interlocking heuristics. An average of 100 scheduled and unscheduled engineering works requests (EWRs) are made each day. TAMS implementation has saved SMRT Trains 30,000 manhours per year and has contributed to more than one million mean kilometres between failures (> 1m MKBF) through optimised engineering works.
Safety category
The Hoosh Afzar Gostar Sazeh project concerns ballast contamination detection using smartphones. A smartphone is mounted in the cabin, behind the window, with a suitable view of the track. Video recording begins while the train is moving at the usual speed. The videos used for this project were taken at a train speed of approximately 60-80 km/h. However, trains can run at higher speeds without affecting image quality and results. This project aims to provide a low-cost solution for detection of ballast contamination. GPR and visual inspections are currently used for this purpose but are costly and require time and resources. Using mobile phones may be a cheaper way to detect ballast contamination and does not need require extra time or manpower – the mobile phone is simply mounted in the train cabin.
Services category
FAIRTIQ is an innovative Swiss start-up that aims to make travel by public transport as easy as possible. The FAIRTIQ app allows users to check in and out easily rather than buying a ticket from the driver or at a TVM or booking office, with all of the hassle that that involves. Users are charged the lowest possible price at the end of their journey. Developed and operated by FAIRTIQ, the ticketing app is free and can be used across the entire public transport network in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as several parts of Germany and Austria. With over 40 million trips made to date, FAIRTIQ is now the most successful iPhone- and Android-compatible check-in/check-out solution worldwide. FAIRTIQ has built up an impressive network of over 60 partners in the public transport sector, including national rail operators such as SBB, ÖBB and SNCF.
Services category
Cylus is the global leader in rail cybersecurity, delivering advanced solutions to protect mainline and urban railway companies from a wide array of threats and risks. Leading rail companies and operators use CylusOne to prevent safety incidents and service disruptions caused by cybersecurity events, without requiring any modifications to the network. With an unparalleled IP portfolio and dozens of deployments around the world, Cylus has established itself as the pioneer and leading provider of rail cybersecurity.
The company was founded in 2017 by seasoned experts in cybersecurity, machine learning, traffic management, signalling and onboard train systems, and is currently deployed on the largest rail systems around the world across North America, APAC and EMEA.
For more information, visit the Cylus website: https://www.cylus.com/
