On 8 June a UIC workshop dedicated to Energy Efficiency on Parked Trains and Refurbishment of Rolling Stock was held in Haarlem (Netherlands).
This workshop was a fruitful opportunity for UIC members working on these topics and representatives of the industry to exchange experiences on best practices, procedures and technologies on the management of parked trains regarding energy efficiency and the refurbishment of rail rolling stock regarding energy improvements.
The workshop started with a technical visit to the train maintenance centre of NedTrain, where the participants had the opportunity to learn more about the latest projects and ongoing activities of NedTrain and the refurbishment of Intercity Trains regarding energy efficiency improvements.
After the visit, the morning session of the workshop included the latest experiences from SNCB, NS and SBB, on the management of parked trains aiming to reduce energy consumption. In the afternoon, a second session addressed the available technologies and commercial products for refurbishment of rolling stock focusing on the potential improvements to energy efficiency; this second session included presentations from the representatives of suppliers such as Faiveley, Alstom, Knorr Bremse and Nomad Tech.
The workshop finished with an open discussion where the participants exchanged their opinions on the main existing barriers and possibilities of implementing actions in this field and the different scenarios depending on meteorological and geographical conditions, including examples in extreme conditions, as explained by the RZD representative.
All the presentations of the workshop are available at: http://www.uic.org/forms/spip.php?article1485
On 9 June the Energy Efficiency and CO2 Experts Network held an internal meeting in Haarlem where the participants presented and discussed topics such as intelligent lighting, conversion of catenary systems, carbon pricing and total energy costs at European level, as well as the exchange of data for energy consumption among other topics.
The meeting included a tour of the building, which has been renovated in accordance with sustainability and energy efficiency criteria, including solar panels linked to the surrounding neighbourhood. The building, which is over a hundred years old, was used as a maintenance centre for the signalling equipment of Dutch Railways, and following its renovation, is now dedicated to hosting meetings and other activities of the community.
