原作者： 伯明翰大学， Saikat Dutta
1.道岔（包括转辙机）
1. Mechatronic switches
Switch or points failure is responsible for nearly 20% of the total delay experienced by passengers on UK railways. This occurs when there’s a problem with the mechanism that enables trains to move from one track to another at a junction. Despite the frequency of the problem, the technology used in these mechanisms has hardly changed since the first design nearly 200 years ago.
But a collaborative research project has explored radical alternative technologies. For example, one innovative design called Repoint has three independent motors that can lift and shift the rails, relying on gravity to lock them back into place and providing redundancy in case one or two of the motors fail.
2.主动转向架
2. Active suspension
Conventional suspension systems restrict a train’s speed as it travels on curved track, limiting how many trains you can run on a route. These suspension systems essentially work like large springs, automatically changing the distance between the wheels and the carriage as the train travels over uneven ground to make the ride feel smoother.
Active suspension systems are now being developed which introduce new sensors, actuators and controllers to more precisely alter the distance between wheels and carriage. This offers improved ride comfort and enables the train to travel round curves with greater speed and stability. This can be combined with systems to actively tilt the train as it rounds the corner, offering increased benefits.
Active tilting, steering and suspension compared to traditional tilting train.
3.主动转向车轮
铁路研发人员现在正在开发一种独立旋转的车轮，包括一个单独的驱动机械装置以帮助列车在过曲线段时高效通过。
3. Actively steering
In a conventional wheelset, both wheels are interlocked and connected with a fixed axle, preventing any relative rotation between them. When a train enters a curve or a divergent route at a junction, it must slow down to ensure the wheels are guided over the track and to prevent unwanted vibration of the wheels.
4.主动受电弓
研究人员正在开发主动受电弓，这种受电弓的高度和感应振动与致动器控制的功率传递有关。这样主动受电弓可以提高接触力，消除由于架空线高度的快速变化和其他环境干扰（如风）造成的接触损耗问题。
4. Active pantograph
High-peed electric trains need to maintain good contact with the overhead powerlines via the pantograph that sits on top of the vehicle. On the UK mainline, pantograph height usually varies by about 2m to secure the connection in different areas such as in tunnels, level crossings and bridges.
5.虚拟连挂
这就是“虚拟连挂”，涉及前后两列车直接交互相关的变化信息，以便将它们之间的安全间隔实时达到所需的最小值。随着它们之间的追踪间隔缩短，更多的列车可以在正线追踪运行，从而提高整个线路的通过能力。
5. Virtual coupling
The number of trains that can run on a route (and so the capacity of the line) depends in part on the signalling system. Most railways use a fixed-lock system, which divides the tracks into sections. Only one train at a time can be in each section so there has to be a significant gap between the trains.
But some railways are now starting to use a moving-block signalling system, which determines the necessary gap between trains based on the distance it takes for them to come to a stop in an emergency. But this gap could be reduced further if it’s based on real time information about what the train in front is doing and where it will stop if it hits the brakes.
This is known as “virtual coupling” and involves the two trains communicating information about their changing speed and brake activity so that they can decrease or increase the gap between them to the minimum necessary. With shorter gaps between them, more trains could run safely on a route, increasing overall network capacity.
Virtual coupling system compared to moving block system. Saikat Dutta, Author provided
有了这些创新，我们可以引进能够适应线路变化的列车，以便在大部分旅程中保持高速，避免那些恼人的停顿旅行期。以这种方式拓宽和打破目前轨道交通设计的界限，将使我们能够创建一个下一代的铁路网络，其性能有一个阶梯式的提高，适合21世纪–不需要任何昂贵的悬浮列车或真空隧道。
With such innovations, we could introduce trains that are able to adapt to the changing characteristics of the line in order to maintain high speeds throughout most of the journey and avoid those annoying stop-start periods of travel. Widening and disrupting the boundaries of current railway designs in this way would enable us to create a next-generation network with a step-change in performance that is fit for the 21st century – without any need for expensive levitating trains or vaccum tubes.