BEIJING: Smart technologies are helping keep 53 uncrewed stations operating safely along the Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Xizang Railway, where extreme altitude, cold, and strong winds pose persistent challenges to railway operations.
The uncrewed stations account for 53 of the section’s 58 stations, or more than 90 percent, according to China Railway Qinghai-Xizang Group.
Much of the railway runs at elevations above 4,500 meters, where temperatures can fall to minus 40 C and oxygen levels are less than half those in low-altitude areas.
As the Qinghai-Xizang Railway marks 20 years of full operation, remote monitoring and digital sensing have increasingly replaced the need for workers to remain stationed in such harsh conditions.
Over 1,800 cameras transmit real-time images of trains and key infrastructure to dispatch centers, allowing staff to identify potential risks remotely, the company said.
The railway also has 52 wind-monitoring points that track changes in wind speed and issue alerts when conditions could threaten operations. Infrared detectors monitor train axle temperatures to identify potential equipment problems, while remotely controlled snow-melting systems keep railway switches operational during heavy snow and extreme cold.
Gao Jiaxin, an assistant researcher at the State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Green Vehicle and Mobility at Tsinghua University, said the technologies form an integrated “vehicle-road-cloud” safety system.
The network marks a shift from responding to risks after they emerge toward identifying and addressing them earlier, improving operational safety and efficiency. The system provides a technological solution for maintaining railway operations in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’s extreme environment, while offering experience for the wider development of automated railway operations. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
