Japan launches Low-cost cloud-computing train Operation management System

In overseas markets, especially in emerging markets, the demand for cost cutting is strong in all sectors, and the railway sector is no exception. At the 2012 Berlin Rail Transit Technology Show (Innotrans 2012), Japanese companies proposed new technology solutions aimed at reducing costs. Toshiba, for example, has a cloud-computing railway Operation management System (Fig. 1). The system is handled by the server to perform the management of train operation, which can be operated by the personal computer Web browser. Specifically, you can manage the timetable and lock the location of the train on Google Maps.

Systems can be built by Internet lines and PCs, so importing costs are low, not only for special equipment and materials, but also for a monthly fee system, which makes it easy to reduce initial import costs. But the traditional system which needs to use the special communication line and the computer equipment belongs to one purchase type, so the import cost is very high. The cost of a one-time-purchase system can be converted to a monthly cost by the service life, and the monthly cost of a cloud-computing system is less than One-tenth per month (Toshiba's narrator).

In addition to reducing costs, another feature of the cloud-computing train management system is that it can be launched quickly. According to Toshiba, this feature can play a role in the operation of the management system due to natural disasters, such as the cessation of work. The reason for this is that it takes a long time to fix if a dedicated communication line and a dedicated computer device are used, and the cloud-computing system can be repaired as long as it ensures that Internet lines and PCs are normal.

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)