Vaisala Rail Weather
Vaisala offers a range of rail weather solutions for heavy,
light and commuter rail, and metro / underground operators.
These have been derived from work in the Highways Sector
where, for over 20 years, operational benefits have been achieved by linking
data from road weather stations with localised, site and application, specific
forecasts. Railway and metro / underground systems can be more susceptible
to the effects of the weather, causing significant disruption at all times of
the year due to extremes of temperature, wind and precipitation.
The main parts of the rail infrastructure affected include
the track and switch points, conductor (power) rails and overhead wires /
catenary systems. A range of solutions are available to help manage the
effects of weather on the rail network and are described within these web
pages.
Ice on the overhead wire causes trains to lose power, and in extreme cases can lead to system break-down. The Vaisala IceCast Overhead Wire Icing system provides users with advanced warning of the presence of icing on the overhead contact wire.
High wind gusts can cause dangerous movement of exposed overhead wires. In some cases, high wind gusts may lead to loss of power, de-wirements and de-railment of empty freight cars. The Wind Alarm system provides advanced warning of wind gust events.
The Vaisala IceCast Conductor Rail Ice system provides users with advanced warning of the likely ocurrence of ice, frost and snow. The system utilises an innovative technique, embedding a sensor within a conductor rail.
Rail buckling is a major safety and performance issue. The Vaisala IceCast Rail Temperature system enables maintenance staff to remotely monitor rail temperature all year round.
The Vaisala IceCast Rail Weather system reports precipitation type, intensity and accumulation. Such data helps warn engineers of heavy snowfall events and of the risk of embankment erosion, wash-outs and landslips following heavy rainfall.