Switch monitoring in Frankfurt
At the end of August 2003, Strukton Rail got the assignment from Deutsche Bahn (DB) to install POSS at 19 critical switches at the Central Station in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Target was to improve the availability of this crucial junction, where railway lines spread out to many regions in Germany.

This pilot on twenty critical switches was highly successful: there were no failures at all. Deutsche Bahn therefore considers to expand POSS further in the Frankfurt region.

A decentralized POSS installation has been installed in a DB relay house. The central units are situated at the main offices of Strukton Rail in the Netherlands. The data is sent from the installation in Frankfurt to the central unit in the Netherlands. The data is saved and made available through internet, on pages that are designed especially for DB.

Admission in Germany
Strukton Rail and DB have managed together to get permission by the Eisenbahn Bundesambt (EBA) to use POSS in Germany. The EBA is the public body responsible for the safety on the German track. Problems were not encountered because POSS complies with the highest EMC class. Moreover, the system does not have any influence on the environment and does not interfere with the systems of DB.

Benefits of POSS for DB
DB has selected POSS because it is a proved system that is easy to use. Owing to the internet technology, the system can be operated at any place and at any time. The system is also independent of the object to be monitored. Another benefit for DB is that the knowledge of DB’s own technicians can be easily implemented in the system.