The PantoTRAIN project aims at developing and introducing a computer-aided certification process to allow the reduction of the time and cost of pantograph certification against ENs and TSI by transferring current physical track tests to laboratory testing and numerical simulation. The same procedure is also envisaged to greatly improve the interoperability of pantograph systems across EU Nations, since virtual homologation techniques will be applied to extend pantograph homologation across different National railway networks (WP 3). The collection of pantograph and catenary database at European level (also envisaged in WP 3) will be an essential step towards this ambitious goal.

The project is organised according to the following Work Packages list:

WP 1: Criteria to build and validate pantograph / catenary numerical simulation tools;
WP 2: Hardware-in-the-Loop testing of pantographs;
WP 3: Virtual homologation for interoperability;
WP 4: Virtual extension of homologation for a pantograph that presents minor changes from an already homologated one;
WP 5: New innovative pantograph designs with control functionalities;
WP 6: Assessment of virtual homologation procedures and Regulatory Acceptance.

Contact force on a 900 m section (measured)
 

WP 1 to 5 deal with the definition of numerical and experimental tools for the virtual certification of the pantograph / catenary couple.

WP 6 aims at the final assessment of the tools previously developed and, at the same time, at ensuring the acceptance of the results of the project by European and national authorities. In this last WP methodologies will be defined to be applied to all the technical WP in order to check and guarantee the quality of the results and propositions and to undertake appropriate actions in terms of proposing new standards, consensus building and contacts to standardisation bodies, NSA’s and ERA.

All the management activities of the PantoTRAIN project will be undertaken in WP 0.