Jul 25, 2022 06:00:00

'Solar flares' could delay trains

The influence of the activity of the sun on the equipment on the earth is large, and it is often pointed out that there is a risk of malfunctions especially in communication systems such as the

Internet and telephone lines . At the National Astronomical Society held July 11-15, 2022 by the Royal Astronomical Society of the United Kingdom, a study was announced that solar storms could disrupt the rail network and delay trains.

Solar flares could cause delays on the railways
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/solar-flares-could-cause-delays-on-the-railways-56083/

Cameron Patterson, Ph.D. student at Lancaster University, said in a statement, 'Many people have heard the announcement that'the train is delayed due to a signal obstruction'. Mostly the weather. It may be caused by the fallen leaves on the railroad tracks, but it may be better to remember that the sun also causes signal malfunctions. '

According to Mr. Patterson, the railway network is divided into sections of 1 to 2 km called 'blocks', and each block has a signal indicating whether there is a train vehicle in that block. This signal is controlled by a relay that detects the current in the system and displays 'red if there is a vehicle in the block and no current is flowing' and 'blue if there is no vehicle and current is flowing'. It has become like.

However, if the current that controls the signal is disturbed by a solar storm, it may turn red even in a block without a vehicle. A research team at Lancaster University found that a study modeling the effects of solar storms on two sections of the British rail network resulted in more signals malfunctioning due to strong solar storms, which increased train delays. I confirmed.

Solar storms of various strengths, from medium electric field strengths of 2V / km to strong ones of 4V / km, are at risk of causing technical problems. In the past, Swedish railways have detected values in excess of 7 V / km, and extremely strong solar storms can reach up to 20 V / km.

The study by Patterson et al. Shows that even moderate solar storms can disrupt train signals.

In future research, Patterson said, 'We are currently investigating how strong a solar storm will turn a red light into a green light. This is a much more dangerous scenario than a green light becoming a red light. He suggested that solar storms could cause more serious accidents than train delays.