One common theme in today’s society, many would say, would have to be health. Whether its personal health, the health of your car, your family’s health, or whatever else in your life requires good health…it’s very important that we check and maintain our overall health. The same holds true for the railroad industry. To maintain good health of the railway system, we have to make sure that the cars, warning lights and signs, crossings, and bungalows, along with everything else responsible for carrying passengers and cargo on the rails, are in the proper operating order.

Once the railroad cranes and slag pot carriers leave Kirow’s production hall in Leipzig, Germany, they will undoubtedly endure 20 years or more in the most demanding conditions. Outdoor temperatures between -20 and +40 °C, hot slag material with temperatures of up to 1,200 °C, severe shocks and increased electrical voltages are just some of the demands placed on the technology and electronics aboard the heavy-duty machinery. In this environment, WAGO’s Spring Pressure Connection Technology and I/O controllers have proven themselves.

The SBB monitors the electrical systems at around 1500 locations, like train stations or tunnels, throughout Switzerland. At the end of 2012, the SBB started up a comprehensive control and error message system for this task so that they can react quickly and in a targeted fashion to interruptions or defects.

Passenger safety is the central focus for the Frankfurt Transportation Authority (VGF – Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt). This applies not only during travel on their public transportation lines, but also when passengers board and disembark. The fire protection systems in the 27 underground stations is currently being completely overhauled. Fieldbus couplers and I/O modules from the WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM 750 and 753 are playing an important part.

Many trains, not owned by the German Railway System, are currently adding a significant manual expense to the operation and maintenance of their infrastructure and auxiliary services. Not, however, those run by AKN Eisenbahn AG. Based on WAGO’s decentralized automation technology, the company from Kaltenkirchen has developed a system that is as creative as it is economical: Approximately 4,000 fault messages can be centrally monitored from the control center, and remote control functions can also be carried out in many areas.

For years, WAGO has been a fixed component in the railway industry – and even a global leader in the field of spring pressure connection technology. Richard Markus explains the reasons for this. In the interview, the Marketing Manager discussed the future of the sector, weight problems for rail-mounted terminal blocks, and the thickness of a human hair.