Mitsubishi Electric has announced the solutions that it will be demonstrating at InnoTrans 2018. The company will be showcasing its ‘one-stop shop’ for railway technologies, which cover everything from propulsion and braking systems to train control and maintenance, and has also developed a “conceptual solution” for the transformation of ticketing and assistance in railway stations.

Mitsubishi has developed a wireless, barrier-free fare-collection system that would enable passengers to access platforms without having to use a physical device. All passengers, including wheelchair users and people with prams, would pass through a designated ticket area to receive authorisation for their journey. The status of each passenger and the direction in which they are walking would be indicated on the floor of the station. Staff would also monitor the location of passengers in the station and on trains so that passengers with disabilities can be offered assistance immediately.

The company has further developed on-board monitors which use information in IC cards to provide personalised on-board services:

• LCD screens on seatbacks
• Alarms based on the passenger’s registered destination, adjusted for train delays, including automatic updates
• Recommendations for refreshments based on personal preferences recorded in IC cards, and information on trolley-location
• Recommendations for entertainment options according to journey times

In addition to these solutions Mitsubishi will also be demonstrating other solutions for rail networks:

• The “Mitsubishi Mobile Monitoring System for Diagnosis” (MMSD™), a measurement vehicle equipped with GPS, inertial measuring units (IMUs) and laser scanners, which map structures in 3D whilst the vehicle is passing through the section of railway
• Air-conditioning systems
• Energy-saving traction-transformers
• Communications-based train-control system (CBTC)
• High-speed direct-current (DC) circuit-interruption technology for railway power-supply systems.

InnoTrans is reconvening at Berlin Messe on 18–21 September 2018. The Mitsubishi Electric location is Hall 7.2a Stand 100.