SIMURAIL is a hardware & software package dedicated to Railway Train Operating Companies, to offer train drivers training courses aimed at various relevant skills :

operation/driving of trains.
service missions.

The "Train Driving" module offers the drivers an opportunity to:

familiarize with the driving cabin equipment and safety/diagnostic systems;
familiarize with line signals and devices (i.e. switch points, indicators, etc.);
learn to drive trains in different meteorological, visibility and adherence conditions, as well as in anomaly and emergency situations;
familiarize with the train's main electric and pneumatic sub-systems.

The "Service Mission" module regards a variety of functions, such as:

training to drive trains on railway line (in a virtual environment with a high level of reality), in normal, abnormal and emergency conditions;
practice of different operating conditions (conversations with a Station Master, Railway Central Control Room and a train conductor through "instruction" forms);
driver training to achieve the maximum comfort of the passengers;
driver training to save energy and/or reduce polluting emissions;
driver training for the best usage of the vehicle.

SIMURAIL comprises partial reproduction of a train diver's cabin and an instructor station for control of the simulation.

The cabin comprises a driver's bench with the actual train controls, including switches, brake valves and traction manipulators, as well as a further large format screen for the reproduction of the driver's visual, an audio system and a series of screens with the indicators and control buttons found in a real driver's cabin. A large touch screen panel contains switches located behind the driver.

The instructor console allows full control of the simulation, including CCTV monitoring of student behaviour and train-land telephone communications.

This way, the instructor can communicate with the student-driver, performing the role of a station master or a railway manager, set weather conditions, introduce faults in rolling stock and infrastructure degradation. The system provides real time monitoring of all the vehicle parameters and student actions. Furthermore, the system provides a schematic view of the tracks and reproduces the view from the front window of the locomotive.

In the virtually simulated railway environment, different trains can see one another along the line as well as when approaching, standing or leaving a station. As mentioned above, SIMURAIL can be integrated with SIMACEl and in this case the train drivers can participate in joint training sessions together with train conductors, station masters and central room masters.

The SIMURAIL simulator provides a sophisticated management of the train and line signalling systems, both under normal and degraded conditions, which allows the instructor to set a virtually endless series of fault or emergency scenarios. This represents a particularly innovative aspect of the system and helps teach student to face situations that in reality would be difficult if not impossible to recreate.

The system is based on know-how and technology produced in Italy: SIMURAlL is part of a family of simulators developed by SHRAIL Division of Milan-based developer D&T, aimed at vocational training and continuous updating of transport companies personnel and railway infrastructure managers. These simulators can be connected together to perform integrated training sessions and more driving simulation platform can be connected together to drive in the same virtual line.

SIMURAIL-FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS

The core functions of SIMURAIL simulator are:

3D CAD graphic representation of real railway journeys - with the appropriate signalling - based on analysis of filming of the routes, geo-reliefs, geo-referencing, online records data (objects and entities existing along the lines and their geographical positions), and the planimetric diagrams of the stations provided by infrastructure managers reproduction of environmental conditions which occurs along the routes (daytime, night time, rain, snow, fog) setting of simulated missions by the instructors, including factors such as light signals (consistent with the formation of routes in service locations), handling of signalling systems failures and consequently exchange of communications between the traffic regulator (instructor) and driving personnel (student) reproduction of the driver's desk with real hardware devices (switches, levers, brake valves) used for enabling / disabling the rolling stock and to impart the traction and braking controls (simulating driving dynamics starting from the actual curves and traction braking), as well as instrumentation and diagnostic monitors with the main functions, via a touch screen monitor. Emulator of the Train Gear Control System (SCMT or ERTMS) - including reproduction of the dashboard and all features related to it - to control the maximum speed of the train against the "alarm" and "protection" curves based on telegrams received from ground sub-system, and information sent by continuous repetition of the signals according to the type of 1st category signals.

CAB RADIO emulator of the train-ground communication system via touch-screen monitor and dedicated audio line recording in a special data bank of the mission planned by the instructor and the student's subsequent actions during exercise, highkighting the mistakes.

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