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A Lithuanian company specializing in intelligent traffic management solutions has developed a technology that will help to avert the disastrous train-to-car collisions at grade crossings. The technology, developed by UAB Viltechna, represents an integrated system of laser scanners which start monitoring the grade crossing after the barrier is lowered and issues an alarm signal if an object is detected in the restricted area.

The scanned picture is instantly transmitted to the control center or directly to the train operator’s desk and allows the person in charge to evaluate whether the train needs to be stopped to avoid collision.

The scanning process ends only after the barrier is lifted again.

“Our technology eliminates the risk of an accident by almost 100 percent,” says Vladas Steponkus, project manager at UAB Viltechna.

He also notes that sending the alarm signal to the integrated control center is a better idea than leaving it to the train operator’s discretion.

"We believe that train engineers are already fully engaged with their job and therefore should not be dealing with additional high-risk situations. Their busyness may result in a fatal human error,” says Steponkus.

The developers of the technology suggest sending all data from the monitored area to a single control room where the person in charge would take the decision to engage the remote breaks system, if necessary.

Currently, the new laser technology is being tested at a sophisticated grade crossing in Lentvaris, where a regional highway intersects with six railroad tracks simultaneously.

The new technology has also been introduced to the national railway companies of Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Depending on the size of the crossing, the full upgrade of one crossing would cost around one lakh litas (Rs. 24,00,000).

Lithuania has a few hundred grade crossings throughout the country. Up to ten train-to-car collisions happen on them each year.

See the original unabridged article here (in Lithuanian)

Source: delfi.lt