The development of a wireless railway axle counter has started

In the Netherlands, a new product is just around the corner; a wireless axle counter operating in the 5G network. The ProRail infrastructure manager and Rail Connect innovator will work on this product over the next three years.

According to Rail Connect director Jan-Wik Kranenburg, this could speed up the deployment of ERTMS by ten years and save millions of euros, reports Railway Supply magazine, citing RailFreight.

The development of a wireless axle counter is the first European development. “If it succeeds, it will be really cosmic, everyone in Europe will want it. This speeds up the implementation of ERTMS by ten years and also provides cost savings. Then we will talk about millions of euros.”

Axle counters themselves are not new, on the other hand are wireless axle counters. “The new ERTMS replaces the old ATB security system. ERTMS is based on the use of axle counters. Current axle counters require wiring for power and data. This means that for 20,000 axle counters a lot of cables need to be run. This means a lot of digging along the track, and a lot of digging means a lot of time and money,” Kranenburg explains.

It will take three years to develop wireless axle counters. During this time, there is still a lot of work to be done. “Now we will draw up a specification together with ProRail and answer the question: how can wireless communication be used to protect trains? This is a very important stage because it determines how the product will end up looking. We will show that it really works and improves safety in rail transport.”

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