The railway is one of the most important modes of public transport throughout the world. For travellers’ safety and satisfaction, railways must run efficiently. This blog aims to uncover top tips to make your railway more efficient.
With the ever-changing landscape surrounding energy and sustainability, it is now more important than ever to make improvements to large sectors of the world so that they can both run efficiently and do their part for the earth – starting with the railway sector.
Making Your Railway More Efficient
Rail is generally considered the most efficient form of transport, however, there are still significant changes we can make to increase the efficiency of our railway.
An efficient railway is essential, both in terms of energy efficiency and for the smooth-running transportation of passengers, so what changes can we make to the railway sector to strive toward making it more efficient?
Making Energy Efficient Changes in Stations
There are several ways in which we can promote sustainable choices in our railway stations – thus making the railway network more efficient as a whole.
Considering the energy output of materials and technologies within railway stations is the first port of call when it comes to transitioning to a more efficient station.
Looking at air conditioning units, lights, escalators, and lifts are all areas in which we can reduce energy emissions and in turn make your railway more efficient. A study showed that by making significant changes to these entities, core energy loss across railway stations in Taipei was reduced by 70%.
With railway stations being such a central hub to many communities, it makes sense that the movement to make railways more efficient starts here.
Improve Rail Lifespans
Of course, the rail lines themselves come at the crux of the railway system. Over time, rail endures an abundance of damage which reduces the rail lifespan and in turn, its downtime. The level of corrosion and damage that a railway endures makes a significant, sometimes detrimental effect on the external environments of the railway lines, making for a less competent railway system.
So how can we improve this?
Corrosion-related rail failures such as rail gail and foot fatigue cause huge inefficiencies to the railway’s longevity and operation. Considering how to protect the steel frames against corrosion is vital for the efficiency of the railway.
Spray Coating railway tracks provide huge benefits to the rail itself and the whole railway system. Providing corrosion protection reduces rail lifetime costs through reduced rail maintenance and reduced replacement costs.
Lighten The Load
There are several benefits of lighter trains.
- Accelerate quicker and stop sooner
- Run more efficiently
- Reduced travel time
- Better railroad traffic flow
- Less wear and tear on the rails
- Needs a lighter weight locomotive so reduced fuel or electricity consumption
Moving toward more modern, lightweight trains will make a huge step toward making your railway more efficient.
Fuel Alternatives
There are options to make your railway more efficient when it comes to the fuel used in trains. Alternative fuels for rail transport could see yet another huge decrease in energy consumption across the rail sector.
Options for fuel alternatives include liquefied natural gas, electricity, liquid biofuels, and hydrogen. As most highly travelled parts of the railway network are electrified, the step to make the railway more proficient has been taken by operating rail transport with renewable electricity.
What Is Alphatek Doing to Make Your Railway More Efficient?
Alphatek is dedicated to making our futures greener and more efficient, which goes to show with the many cases we have worked on within the transport sector, specifically the railway network.
Our new and exclusive partnership with Trackwork Ltd has created a huge leap toward making your railway more efficient. Both Alphatek and Trackwork have recognised the importance of making the railway system more efficient and how they can work in partnership to make significant changes using a partnered coating system.
This partnership will focus on making the rail industry safe, long-lasting with reduced downtime and more efficient. We will now be able to facilitate the distribution of the HYPERTRAXS GR8 coating system on rail components.
Get In Touch
Interested in how to make your railway more efficient? Want to know more about the work we do at Alphatek to facilitate a long-lasting and safe railway network? Get in touch!
Our team are on hand to answer any queries you may have about spray coating, and specifically how this makes your railway more efficient.
For more information call us directly on 01706 821021, or you can email us at postbox@alphatek.co.uk
