Start Gebruikswaarde ERTMS Signalling design Capacity tools 


Vache Veau Bison Buffle
Buffle

 

 

Buffle (a buffalo) is a tool to get a quick insight in the behaviour of heavy freight trains near or on steep slopes. If a signal can show a stop aspect, inevitably a train will stop in rear of it, at some occasion. For heavy trains however, it’s not practical or sometimes not allowed to stop at certain locations, because they will encounter difficulties in restarting.

Preventing a stop at an unwanted location can be arranged by signalling measures, by operational procedures or by design rules on signal placement. Whatever the method, there will be a significant influence on railway capacity on mixed traffic lines.

To be able to assess this influence in an early design stage, Buffle estimates the maximum train loads, with which trains will be able to depart with a sufficient acceleration. This is done for every location on a complete line at once, in order to be able to incorporate the results in the signalling design, for maximum capacity.

Engineering rules on how to calculate this differ, dependant on the operational habits and the number and nature of the gradients. Furthermore, the results are based on assumptions about the behaviour of traction, track and driver.

With Buffle, TrainTrain provides a no-nonsense approach to the calculations. All relevant parameters and laws of nature are taken into account, but the calculation method is very straightforward. Results are never to be considered as guaranteed prediction but they will give sufficient insight in the desirability of a signal position.

(Buffle is an acronym for: Burden-limitation Uphill Freight-trains, Fast Line-bound Evaluation)

Information: Buffle@TrainTrain.eu

 

 

 

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