CLEARSY has begun work on a new contract with the Régie des Transports Métropolitains (RTM) of Marseille to upgrade the third rail shoe fault detection system, ensuring power supply to the Marseille metro rolling stock.
As in Paris, the trains run on wheels equipped with tyres, lined with wheels of slightly smaller diameter, made of steel. These do not, in principle, touch the rails. Safety wheels are also used to guide the train through the points. The traction current is returned (shunt) by means of third rail shoes lines attached to both sides of the bogies.
It is thanks to the third rail shoes, and more precisely the third rail shoes of the lead and trailing cars, that the signalling system can locate the trains precisely, within each section of track (delimited by a track circuit). Detecting the absence of one or more third rail shoes is therefore a major safety issue.
This new project is part of a long-standing collaboration and aims to further enhance the safety and reliability of rubber-tyred metro operations. The system will be refurbished and manufactured by CLEARSY, before being installed near La Rose station.
Detecting third rail shoe faults helps anticipate risks related to power collection loss, including fire hazards and detached components, which could lead to accidents or impact infrastructure and operations.
Thank you to RTM for their renewed trust!