Innovating every day for the future
Technological innovation is a fundamental component of our strategy.
It represents the answer that can increase the efficiency, safety and sustainability of the solutions we offer our customers. Thanks to the work of our engineers and valuable collaborations with our customers and partners, we have developed several innovative projects.
Contact line for 360 km/h
Within the Joint Research Center (JRC-Transport) of the Politecnico of Milan University, we have designed and carried out the technology upgrade of the existing HS Milan – Turin 2x25kV overhead contact line to fit increased speed up to 360 km/h.
Rigid catenary
We have designed and installed the rigid catenary for the Metro Line C in Rome, which represents the largest application in Italy both in tunnel and outdoor.
Dumping Dropper
In collaboration with the Politecnico of Milan University and the Bonomi Group, we have developed a dumping dropper that allows a significant improvement of the interaction pantograph-catenary at high speeds.
Emergency Tunnel Earthing Systems
Disconnection and earthing of the overhead contact line in railway tunnels is a fundamental requirement to enable emergency operations to be carried out in the event of accidents.
At Colas Rail Italia we design and implement Overhead Contact Line Sectioning Systems and Emergency Tunnel Earthing Systems (STES) according to the latest specifications of the Italian Railways, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, and with high levels of SIL (Safety Integrity Level) according to the customer's specific requirements.
We designed and installed the automatic earthing system for contact line in tunnels for the first time in Italy, in all the tunnels of the HS/HC line Bologna - Florence (about 80km).
We installed a SIL 3 certified contact line earthing system (MATS) in the "Monte Tratturale" tunnel for the Railway Infrastructure Manager, Ferrovie del Gargano.
SCADA
With the Italian Railways, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, we developed and implemented an innovative control system - SCADA in a 3kV Electrical Substation, now a national benchmark.
Innovative substations
We have designed innovative traction power substation – currently under construction – for the 3kV DC railway lines, which involves the use of Voltage Source Converter (VCS) technology for the conversion and reuse of the power generated by trains during braking.
Through the #technologyhub initiative, we work to consolidate a culture of innovation also through the most modern approaches such as the “Open Innovation”, an easy and flexible tool. With this in mind, we have a partnership with STEP Tech Park, the start-up incubator in the green-tech sector, created with the aim of creating matching opportunities between start-ups and the industrial world. Read the post
BIM
We believe technological innovation and digitization are the keys to success in the railway industry.
Since 2017, we have started to approach BIM, with relative certification, starting to develop projects according to the standards required by the Building Information Modelling methodology.
Colas Rail Italia for associations and the academic world
One of our priorities is to significantly improve the performance of current rail technologies.
Our work has led us to establish prestigious partnerships with customers, partners and universities.
Since 2009, we have been collaborating in railway research, actively participating in the Joint Research Centre (JRC-Transport) of the Politecnico of Milan University as an industrial partner for the Contact Line and Substations/Energy Efficiency technology.
We are part of the working groups of the Italian Electrotechnical Committee (CEI) for the updating and definition of regulatory and technical standards pertaining to electrical traction systems.
We are member of the Italian Railway Industry Association (ASSIFER) that brings together companies operating in Italy in the field of railways and urban public electrified transport (metro, tram, trolleybuses).