Railways have long been a key component of transportation infrastructure and a part of daily life of every citizen in the world. Over the hundred years of railway development journey since the world’s first railway in London in 1863, the four major engineering systems which include permanent way system, power system, signalling system and rolling stock, have been extensively studied for a long time in railway industry, in which the technologies have been well-developed. As railway engineers in the 2020s, we should not solely focus on the further development of these engineering systems. Instead, we should take proactive actions to address the challenges currently facing railway operations and meet higher social expectations regarding railway’s safety and reliability. These challenges include ageing railway assets, manpower and talent shortage due to the early retirement and ageing population, staff human factor issues, and the social needs for inclusive and accessible railway facilities. The advanced technology available today enables us to develop more and more applications and improvement measures to tackle these challenges and assists us to continuously shape the future of our railways into safer, smarter, more sustainable railways for the benefit of our worldwide citizens.
This presentation will outline the concerted effort of the Electrical and Mechanical Service Department (EMSD) and the railway trade on promotion and adoption of various innovative I&T applications on railway in Ò3SÓ, SAFER, SMARTER, SUSTAINABLE.