Alstom has published the environmental declaration for its new generation of beacons. SmartBalise is an ecodesigned product, with minimised environmental impact all the way from manufacture to end-of-life. Its environmental performance is presented in the declaration, available for consultation on the PEP Ecopassport® website in compliance with the requirements of ISO 14025.
The beacons – those yellow boxes located along the tracks – allow the train to retrieve signalling and safety data sent by the control centre with the help of an encoder, which acquires data related to the status of the signalling. The SmartBalise revolutionises the traditional concepts of the signalling market by integrating the encoder function within a conventional beacon. This “2-in-1” approach leads to significant environmental gains.
By comparing 4 SmartBalises used over a period of 20 years with 4 previous-generation balises linked up to a data management module, the results obtained over the life cycle of the beacon are remarkable: a 75% reduction of energy obtained from fossil-fuel sources, an 86% reduction in energy consumption, corresponding to the annual consumption of a 400 m² low-consumption building, and an 81% reduction in water pollution, corresponding to the consumption, all uses combined, of 4000 people over a whole year.
Photo: Alstom
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