Benefit

• Removes the dependency on mains power availability.
• Drives down civil engineering and installation costs.
• Each major component (signs, train detection nodes, early warning) is completely self powered.
• Each unit has its own solar array and battery system for continuous operation and up to 10 days of “no light” operation.
• The system can be deployed anywhere.
• Extensive techniques have been applied to reduce and optimise the power requirements of the system.
• The solar power solution is integral to the system – it is not a bolt-on. 

Benefit

• Drives down civil engineering costs.
• Removes the need for in-ground cabling.
• A major component of the cost of a crossing is the infrastructure to detect trains.
• Train detection occurs at sensors on approach to either side of a crossing.
• These sensors are traditionally connected to the crossing by very long cables – usually trenched into the ground for protection or clipped to the rail.
• This is very expensive in terms of time, materials, earth works etc. – and these costs increase the more remote the location.
• RAXS removes the need for cables between the Train detectors and the Crossing. 

Benefit

• Reduces installation and deployment costs without compromising safety.
• RAXS solution uses Frauscher Wheel Detector technology to detect the presence of trains.
• The Frauscher components are a hardened and proven global industry technology and are acceptable to QR signal engineering.
• In the RAXS solution the wheel detectors are interconnected using a high integrity wireless link. The wheel detectors can even be configured to power up / power down to minimise power consumption without reducing safety integrity. 

Benefit

• Further reduces costs by incorporating a built in supervisory capability period for consistency.
• Each RAXS Crossing has the capability to remotely communicate with a central Remote Crossing Management System (RCMS).
• The RCMS continuously logs to a database each crossings fault status, performance metrics and train activity of the crossing with 1s resolution.
• The RCMS on forwards alarms state to the Rail Operator’s Fault Management System.
• The RCMS has a web portal for crossing investigation and diagnostics.
• This enables rapid dispatch of service personnel and proactive maintenance management. 

Benefit

• Reduces civil engineering costs and time to install a new level crossing protection system.

• All major components (ATRS, AEWS, TDN) require strong stable footings – traditionally concrete was used. In remote rural locations the cost of digging the holes, freighting the materials (cement, water etc.), waiting for the footings to set etc. is significant.

• RAXS uses an innovative technology called “Surefoot” to reduce these costs. Engineered to site conditions. Surefoot uses treated steel piles jack-hammered into the ground to create a highly stable platform.

• Instead of taking many days to establish the footings – they can now be done in hours. The materials that need to be shipped to site are greatly reduced. The need for excavation equipment is removed. Labour costs are reduced.

Benefit

• Enables road traffic to cross the rail corridor safely under a conventional Stop Sign operation.

• Deters bad driver behavior due to continuous red flashing lights for extended periods.

• Incorporates a patented fail-to-safe technology that presents a traditional STOP sign – if a critical failure is detected or if the system loses all power.

• The fail-to-safe applies to both track side signs (a STOP sign) and to early warning signs (STOP Sign Ahead).

• Based on feedback from a Rail CRC Study and DTMR, the fail-to-safe sign now incorporates flashing LED strips to maximise recognition of the changed signage.

• This concept of an active/passive sign is highly innovative and with the assistance of DTMR has now resulted in changes to the MUTCD standard.

Benefit

• A remote monitoring capability (RCMS) provides extensive statistics to maximise the effectiveness of maintenance visits – in terms of spares needed and activities required.

• Monitoring information on solar / battery performance provides guidance on the need (or otherwise) to proactively replace batteries. Wireless performance levels can be evaluated. System alarms can be monitored 24/7.

• Maintenance will typically involve: exercising the fail to safe functionality; cleaning the signage / solar panels; vegetation clearance, key switch operation, inspection of the wheel detection systems etc. and general system operation on site.

• Training / Service Manuals provided by RSS to the operator’s personnel on system maintenance.

• Only 1-2 service visits are required per year.

 Reduces the risk death and serious injury to road users and reduces the cost of deployment by excluding guard rails.

• The primary objectives of the crossing are to protect users from impact with trains and to reduce the risk to the road user if impact with the crossing infrastructure occurs.

• The road side structure (track side signage and early warning signs) are designed to reduce the risk to road users.

• They have been designed to be as light weight and energy absorbing as far as is reasonably practical.

• Through this innovative design roadside crash protection barriers have been made redundant.

• The road signage infrastructure has been crash tested at 100kph in a registered crash test facility.