MiTAC expands into axle counter market

The signaling systems which direct railway traffic to ensure the safe operation of the railway is the significant part of the railway system. Malfunctioned signaling systems will severely affect the safety of railway traffic and even cause disasters, and interlocking system is the core subsystem

The interlocking system used by Taiwan Railways comprises Relay interlocking System (RI) and Electronic Interlocking System (EI). There is one set of interlocking system and at least one Relay House (RH) at each train station. Relay house is to provide a protected area for the track circuit, axle counting devices, electric switches, signal devices, automatic train protection system, and station block devices. These devices have to be connected or restrained with each other to prevent derailment or crash even under the circumstance of wrong commands by operating personnel.

Taiwan Railways originally use track circuit which is an electrical device installed on tracks to detect the presence or absence of a train on rail tracks by electrification. In 2007, Taiwan Railways Administration decided to replace all the old detection systems with axle counter system to improve the functionality of detection system such as anti-disruption, stability and fail-safe.

Axle counter system is a device installed on tracks, detecting the passing of a train with sensing technology. It provides the interlocking system with security check conditions to prevent human errors and control the presenting of right signals. It not only helps the control center schedule trains and monitor the abnormality, but also the train drivers knows precisely what to expect ahead to ensure the railway traffic safety and efficiency.

A detection point is installed at each end of the blocking section. As each train passes over the detection point at the start of the section, the counter increments, while the train passes at the end of the section, the counter decrements. If the final counting number is zero, the section is identified to be free of train. MiTAC has already noticed axle counter system before long time

Vice President of Special Project Business Group, MiTAC Information Technology Corp., Jackie Lee, says “At InnoTrans 2016, we met Frauscher, later on had a chance to cooperate with them and then we officially expanded into the axle counter market.”