UK: Transport for Wales is to trial a prototype Request to Stop system incorporating train running information and a button which passengers arriving at station can push to alert the driver of the next train to the need to call at a request stop. This removes the need for passengers to give hand signals to the driver as the train approaches and means trains do not need to stop if not required.
The prototype RtS unveiled at the Railway Industry Association Innovation Conference on March 26 has been developed by Unipart Technologies Group’s Comms Design from kiosks it produced for stations on the Far North Line in Scotland.
The Scottish version communicates with the train using the Radio Electronic Token Block equipment developed by British Rail for remote lines, but the Welsh version uses standard GSM communications. This will be changed to GSM-R in the future; development has been supported with funding from Innovate UK, which required a prototype to be demonstrated faster than would be possible if GSM-R were integrated from the start.
According to Comms Design, the kiosks in Scotland save around 6 litres of fuel and 70 sec each time they avoid the need for a the diesel multiple-unit to stop because there are no passengers wanting to board or alight.
The presence of a RtS system also ‘changes the atmosphere of the station’ by having interactive technology and live passenger information at remote sites.
According to the manufacturer, there are around 140 request stops in Great Britain, of which 61 are in Wales.
