Outdoor Installations 4.0

摘要

The railway system and its associated safety technology have always been subjected to constant changes. Initially, the pace of innovation was enormous, as inventors found themselves in constant competition to make trains run faster, further and above all more efficiently. This formerly high rate of innovation slowed as the railway infrastructure became increasingly extensive. National idiosyncrasies (signalling, languages, ...) also contributed to complicating the process of introducing innovations. All of this was then further compounded by the requirement for the standardisation of rail traffic in support of cross-border rail traffic. On the other hand, rail operators (both vehicle and infrastructure operators) demanded innovations aimed at increasing efficiency, raising capacity and improving availability under increasingly tight deadlines. This article illuminates how and why this balancing act can be mastered within the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution.