RFI goes ahead with the rejuvenation of its diagnostic train fleet. For the very first time, it is deploying a futuristic-looking Unmanned Railway Vehicle or URV:
On 08.08.2024, RFI, the authority that manages the Italian network tested a new vehicle called URV (Unmanned Railway Vehicle) on the Bologna San Donato test circuit. It is a fully autonomous driving vehicle designed by RFI itself and equipped to work on Italy’s high-speed lines.
Its main purposes are:
- Inspection, monitoring, and mapping any critical safety issues;
- Real-time control through people/object-detection;
- Safety inspection of critical/noxious areas in the event of human intervention;
- Carrier for specific tools (e.g. rovers, mechanical arms, etc.).
The URV vehicle must operate on lines with ETCS Level 2 and has two driving modes:
- Autonomous Driving = the driving of the vehicle is entrusted to the Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system;
- Remote Control = the vehicle is controlled by a remote operator.
Tech specs:
- Maximum speed: 200 km/h: allowing the URV to quickly cover large sections of the railway lines, optimizing inspection and monitoring time;
- Autonomy: 4 hours of continuous operation thanks batteries: the URV can operate without interruption for long enough to complete inspections over extensive sections, ensuring effective data collection in the field while reducing pollutant emissions and dependence on fossil fuels;
- Dimensions: with a length of 7.5 meters, a width of 3 meters, and a height of 2 meters, the URV is designed to be compact yet spacious enough to house all the advanced technologies required for monitoring and diagnostics.
Railcolor expects the first URV to start its duty at the end of 2024/Q1 of 2025.
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