Virtual coupling is the closer running of trains where they are only separated by their relative braking distance plus a factor of safety, so that the following train shall not collide with the leading train if the emergency brakes are applied. This project aimed to investigate the potential capacity increase a virtual coupling approach offers the railway in Britain and determine its technical feasibility. This presentation is based off the presenter’s undergraduate research project and will focus on:
• The need for increased capacity on the railway,
• The components of a virtual coupling system,
• Computer modelling of a virtually coupled system and its applications,
• Simulation results and potential capacity increases,
• Project limitations, assumptions, and achievements.
Charlie Rawlings is a graduate safety engineer working within assurance at Atkins on the rail consulting graduate scheme. In 2021, Charlie graduated from the University of Birmingham with a first-class MEng Mechanical Engineering with Industrial Year degree, having spent a year on an industrial placement as an engineer at Network Rail. Charlie’s final year research project focussed on virtual coupling, which they presented at the World Congress on Railway Research in Birmingham last year. Charlie is an associate member of the iMechE and is working on becoming a chartered engineer.