Repoint
A breakthrough in fail-safe rail track switching
About Repoint Repoint is a revolutionary railroad switch system, which delivers improved performance, network capacity and reduced cost of ownership. The first Repoint protoype will be delivered and tested with a UK operator in September 2018. Loughborough University is seeking partners to develop this technology, and make it a reality around the world. This brochure outlines the Repoint technology and how interested companies can work with us.
Contents History
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Benefits of Repoint
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Unique technology
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Current status
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The future with Repoint
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IP position
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Patent details
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Get involved
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www.repointswitch.com
History Railway networks need innovation to increase capacity and reliability. Railway track switches have worked the same way for over 200 years, are not always reliable and costly to maintain. The necessary signalling, detection and locking systems built into these switches to ensure safety limit operational speed and significantly reduce network capacity. And when there is a problem, switch machine failure stops the trains.
Railway networks continue to expand and carry more passengers and freight
Significant investment is required to increase capacity
Building new track is always a difficult option
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We listened to the rail industry to develop the solution When Loughborough University’s Control Systems Research Group was asked by the UK Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) in 2010 to look at ways of improving capacity on existing lines, we found that a significant limiting factor was the track switch. We spoke to operators, maintainers and designers and began to understand the limits of the existing switch machines. We asked them what performance they would want, if our team could redesign the switch from scratch. 05
Repoint delivers
Faster switching Âą 0.5 secs compared with typically 4 secs for conventional design.
No maintenance Minimal - no requirement to check clearances, loose bolts or lubrication.
Fewer switches Triplex redundancy, other failure modes eliminated including those that have resulted in fatal accidents. Actuator protected from weather in sealed unit, no switch blade gap to trap items, no linkages to work loose. 06
Other benefits Can provide multiple turnouts. Turnouts can have differing cants.
Reduced cost Significantly reduced cost from fewer component parts, e.g. no external mechanism required and easier installation.
No speed restriction Where space allows.
Reduced energy usage No space requirement Mechanism takes up little more space than existing sleepers.
No friction losses from sliding switches. Energy use could almost be zero if actuator or motor regenerates power whilst braking during downward movement. 07
Repoint can deliver a significant increase in capacity through faster point setting time coupled with reduced maintenance intervention, alongside a reduced whole life cost – without the need to build new railway tracks.
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Repoint improves capacity without the need for new investment With Repoint, a more reliable network with greater capacity is possible, providing extra capacity and flexibility on critical infrastructure like the Channel Tunnel, busy city networks like the Berlin U-Bahn, as well as in remote locations such as the Alpine tunnels of Central Europe. Research to develop Repoint began in 2011. It has secured more than ÂŁ2M in funding to deliver basic principles, a functioning laboratory demonstrator, a comprehensive understanding of how the machine will deliver network capacity improvements, and a concept design that will be both reliable and maintainable in the field.
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Unique technology Repoint is a revolutionary points mechanism Using safety concepts derived from aerospace and the nuclear industries, Repoint allows, for the first time, multi-channel, redundant actuation for track switches. It is being developed for compliance with current and future rail standards, including the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).
Rather than sliding the rails transversely, Repoint uses a lift, hop and drop mechanism and provides passive locking. This mechanism is unique because it allows for several point machines / actuators to act on the same points, which means that the remaining point machines / actuators can operate the points safely in the event of a failure.
Active Bearer
Passive - Locking
Passive - Not Locking
Standard Sleeper
Repoint delivers fault tolerance through multiplex redundancy, and when maintenance is required, it has a single Line Replaceable Unit construction which can be replaced in minutes.
Think of Repoint like an aircraft – multiple engines keep you flying in the event of a single engine failure. As a result, trains can continue to run without delays, meaning faults can be tolerated and immediate reactive maintenance is not needed.
The lift hop and drop mechanism also eliminates the friction inherent in slide chairs and so Repoint can also move the switch quicker than existing designs (target is less than half a second). This speed of actuation can help to improve network capacity.
Repoint can be made using either standard switch rail profiles (Repoint Light) or with a patented arrangement of interlocking rail ends in a stub switch configuration.
Sustainability Sustainability has also been integrated into the design; Repoint can operate on a variable rail cant which potentially allows the train to maintain speed through the points, removing the need to decelerate and then pick up speed again, using less energy as a result.
Current status
The next stage in the project is for a prototype Repoint Light track switch to be developed alongside RSSB, London Underground, and the UK supply base. RSSB approved further significant funding at the start of 2016 that will enable Repoint’s progression to the installation of a full-scale demonstrator in a representative railway environment in September 2018. A development partner has been selected for this TRL7 full-scale demonstrator, but opportunities exist for other manufacturers to work with us to develop Repoint for use around the world.
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The future with Repoint Repoint will help the rail industry worldwide to engineer a brighter future: more frequent trains, which run faster, and on a network where the chance of a points failure occurring is eliminated, and with fewer weekend engineering possessions and resultant passenger inconvenience. Repoint is a technology that can help free up valuable real estate in city centres, by enabling the station track fan to become considerably more compact: fewer Repoint switches are required to service a given number of platforms. Enhanced reliability and redundancy will be improved at critical nodes and infrastructure (such as king points) as a result. We aim to work with partners around the world to develop and manufacture Repoint systems appropriate to local needs and regulation.
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IP position The IP for Repoint (including patents, CAD and knowhow) is owned by Loughborough University, and we seek partners to develop and manufacture the technology appropriate to local needs and regulation, working with their local infrastructure owners. Because Loughborough University has been supported by RSSB using UK taxpayer funding, there are constraints on how the IP will be licenced to our partners:
Loughborough University will licence its IP to 3rd parties on a royalty-free basis to develop, and then manufacture or have manufactured Repoint systems to be supplied to UK rail customers for use in the UK.
Loughborough University intends to grant licences for its IP to 3rd parties on a royalty-bearing territory by territory basis to develop, and then manufacture or have manufactured Repoint systems to be supplied to rail customers outside the UK.
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Patent details Railway Points Country: United Kingdom Application Number: GB1322641.0 Status: Granted Patent Number: GB2516706 Issue Date: 24th June 2015
Railway Points Operating Apparatus Country: United Kingdom Application Number: GB1322660.0 Status: Granted Patent Number: GB2516707 Issue Date: 24th June 2015
Railway Track Crossing Country: United Kingdom Application Number: GB1403674.3 Status: Granted Patent Number: GB2516712 Issue Date: 19th August 2015
Railway Points, Railway Points Operating Apparatus and Railway Track Crossing Country: PCT Application Number: PCT/GB2014/053732 Status: Applied For
We are now prosecuting national phase patents in various territories.
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Get involved If your company would like to know more about Repoint and to explore the potential for collaboratively developing and manufacturing the technology under licence, please contact us at the address below. We will be happy to host a visit at Loughborough University and demonstrate the technology to you, and determine how we can best work together to exploit this unique opportunity.
Contact: Professor Roger Dixon Head of the Control Systems Research Group Loughborough University +44 (0)1509 227018 r.dixon@lboro.ac.uk www.repointswitch.com
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Our continued support for Repoint reinforces our belief in the technology and the potential it has to deliver real, tangible benefits to the future of the rail industry. Neil Webster RSSB Innovation Programme Director
Professor Roger Dixon Head of the Control Systems Research Group Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering Loughborough University Leicestershire LE11 3TU T: +44 (0)1509 227018 E: r.dixon@lboro.ac.uk
www.repointswitch.com