Bernstein Rail unveiled at Railtex

Switches, sensors and enclosures specialist, Bernstein Ltd, will be unveiling ‘Bernstein Rail’ on Stand R11 at Railtex 2015 following unprecedented growth in the rail sector.


Bernstein has provided integrated safety solutions to rail customers for a number of years and now counts some of the industry’s biggest names amongst its repeat clients. The company specialises in developing bespoke solutions to address specific safety issues, using technologies designed for rolling stock, track side and in lift applications.


Bernstein Managing Director, Robert Emms, says, “We focus on identifying safety problems that could be solved using our technologies and, having worked extensively in the rail industry, we have developed a number of products designed specifically to protect rail users from a range of potential hazards.”


From sensors and switches used in detection and locking applications, to enclosures specifically customised for the rail industry’s requirements, Bernstein’s products have a track record of ensuring safety where it’s most needed.


Rob continues, “Investing in the UK’s rail infrastructure has been a key priority for recent Governments and a number of projects including Crossrail and the proposed HS2 mean the industry offers enormous potential for the supply chain. Railtex provides an excellent opportunity for Bernstein to demonstrate its capability and expertise to key decision makers within the rail sector.”


SafeGate
The focal point of Bernstein’s Railtex stand will be a full-size working prototype of SafeGate.
SafeGate has been developed to help improve security at rural user worked crossings using proven safety technology to hold the gate closed when a train is detected, securing the crossing. Warning lights and alarms located adjacent to the gate also advise people on foot when the danger has passed, adding another level of protection.


Bernstein believes SafeGate could have enormous implications for pedestrians using Britain’s level crossings - there are more than 6,300 level crossings in Britain and according to Network Rail’s latest figures, seven adults were fatally injured on the network in 2013 with 241 near misses. Bernstein is currently working with leading control and safety consultant, HIMA-SELLA, to bring the product to market following a successful Rail Live 2014 where the two companies showcased the full-size SafeGate working prototype for the first time.


Rob continues, “Network Rail invests significant resources in raising public awareness of the dangers posed by crossings, but the responsibility to stay safe remains with the user. The widespread introduction of automated locking systems would remove the element of choice and could significantly reduce the number of people injured or killed on crossings every year.”


Enclosures
Bernstein will be using its Railtex stand to showcase examples of trackside enclosures used for vibration monitoring, track temperature monitoring and joint temperature monitoring, as well as a 2m high control enclosure used to securely house sensitive communications equipment. It will also be demonstrating a custom train-borne enclosure developed for HIMA-SELLA’s award winning Selective Door Opening system, Tracklink III – designed to ensure passengers are only able to alight from the train where it is safe to do so.
Tracklink III has been developed to control the opening of train doors in instances where the train is longer than the station platform at which it stops by using RFID technology to detect where the platform ends.


The system uses a passive beacon (tag), which is mounted on the platform or on the track sleepers to store data about the station. A train mounted reader, housed in an aluminium enclosure from Bernstein, accesses this information when the train pulls into the station and communicates with Train Door Safety Interlocks which only allow doors located next to the platform to open.


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