Italy reveals new earthquake warning system that halts trains automatically
RFI brought in the system in partnership with Japan's Railway Technical Research Institute (JR RTRI) and the physics department of the University of Naples Federico II.
The Early Seismic Warning system (EWS), a network of sensors installed along the high-speed line between the two southern cities, can detect the first seismic waves in real time before automatically slowing or stopping approaching trains, researchers at the University of Naples explained.
The system was first used on May 3rd, according to RFI. On May 13th, it was successfully tested when a 4.4-magnitude earthquake hit the Naples area, leading to high-speed trains being halted.
Similar warning systems are now set to be brought in on other railway lines around Italy and Europe, according to reports, under the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) initiative aimed at standardising rail control and signalling systems.
Though Italy rarely sees severe earthquakes which pose a risk to life, smaller quakes are a regular occurrence in many areas, particularly in the Campi Flegrei area near Naples.
The region, which is home to around half a million people, is Europe's largest volcanic 'caldera', a basin-like depression formed when a volcano collapses into itself.
Seismic activity in Campi Flegrei has increased in recent years due to a phenomenon known as 'bradyseism' – the slow, vertical movement of the Earth's surface due to changes in the volume of magma and hot gases beneath.
The increasing frequency and intensity of seismic events has raised fears of a future volcanic eruption, but Italian scientists have said this is unlikely.
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Italy reveals new earthquake warning system that halts trains automatically
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