On March 25, China’s first dual-power intelligent tamping vehicle for railway tunnels CHN Energy Endeavor, developed by Railway Equipment Company under China Shenhua in collaboration with relevant institutions, rolled off the production line in Kunming, Yunnan, marking another key breakthrough in high-end, intelligent and green development of large-scale railway maintenance machinery.
As core maintenance equipment for ensuring safe and stable railway track operation, railway tamping vehicles compact the ballast bed to eliminate hidden risks such as track subsidence and deformation, thereby guaranteeing steady and safe train operation. Due to the long-term challenges of special working conditions of maintenance in railway tunnels, traditional large maintenance machinery with diesel power was like running a truck in a “sealed tank”. This not only generated accumulated engine exhaust gas and high decibel noise inside enclosed tunnel spaces, but also restricted improvement for both operating efficiency and accuracy during routine tunnel maintenance.
The newly launched dual-power intelligent tamping vehicle achieved a breakthrough in its power system. Adopting dual power configurations with diesel generator sets and power batteries, the equipment enables seamless mode switching based on the operating scenario. When operating in tunnels, pure electric drive mode can be adopted throughout, achieving zero exhaust emissions and a significantly reduce noise. When performing long-distance relocation and open-air interval line operations, it can be switched to hybrid mode to fully meet the endurance and efficiency requirements of all-scenario operations.
The equipment is also equipped with a fully domestic intelligent tamping operating system, integrating automatic image recognition, automatic tamping execution and adaptive operating functions. It is equivalent to installing the equipment with a “smart brain” and “acute senses”, achieving the automation and precision of railway tamping operations and significantly improving operation efficiency. Through independently developed intelligent algorithms and sensor systems, it can support automatic identification, automatic adjustment and accurate positioning with high maintenance precision, achieving intelligent upgrading of railway tunnel maintenance.
The successful development of this new equipment has addressed multiple long-term technical bottlenecks in the railway tunnel maintenance industry and offers systematic solutions for green and intelligent tunnel maintenance.
