Arlanda Express has taken steps to further enhance its already strong environmental credentials, upgrading its Transrail CATO (Computer-Aided Train Operation) system with the popular “Crystal Ball” feature released earlier this year.
Andreas Torblom, IT Manager at Transrail, responsible for CATO at Arlanda Express said: “The Crystal Ball feature tracks surrounding traffic in real-time, foreseeing potential issues, and solving them before they occur – CATO gives the driver a clear view of the future and suggests appropriate measures to avoid upcoming problems.
For most drivers it is impossible to know what lies ahead and they are fully dependent on trackside signals to know if the way is clear. By the time they pass the signal it is already too late to make intelligent adjustments, resulting in unnecessary stops.
Torblom explains: “Unnecessary stops are the root of all evil, with increased energy consumption, increased wear, poor passenger comfort and poor punctuality as an immediate result. Drivers are often good at running their trains and avoid unnecessary stops under normal conditions, but when disturbances occur, which they always will, the driver needs CATO, with the Crystal Ball feature, to know what to do.”
The “Crystal Ball” feature, which is now a part of the CATO C-Das solution was deployed on Arlanda Express during the summer and is expected to simultaneously improve energy savings, punctuality and increase passenger comfort.
