198803 – Hurley – V/Line Operations & Safeworking Development Department: Objectives & Results

The Operations and Safeworking Department for which I am the Manager, was formed in July, 1984. The main objectives of this Department are to find more cost effective emethods to operate the railway by using whatever technology is most appropriate.

The motto of my Department is: “There’s just gotta be a better way.”

Now most people think that the latest wiz-bang technology will solve all problems better than any other system that there is, but l put it to you, it is very difficult to move a 60 kg set of points with a chip. The chip might operate the controller but you still need a large piece of machinery in the form of a point machine in order to shift the blades.

By early 1985, a list of tasks to investigate was derived which are to fulfil1 the aims of V/Line to achieve better and more economical methods of operation. The following are the tasks:
1. Improve the present 25 Kmlh trailable points in use on the Cressy line for Higher Speed Operation.
2. Investigate rear end-of-train detection and consider relevance of 26L flow meters having in mind 2-Man Crewing Project.
3. Monitor progress of Radio token systems, such as the LIC system in British Columbia, RETB in the UK, ATCS in the USA and ASTREE in France and prepare a functional specification for such a system on the Ararat-Portland line.
4. lnvestigate methods of improving safety on double line block systems
in lieu of track circuits.
5. “Switch-out” problems associated with electric staff system
6. Investigate requirements of V/Line for train management data and methods of achieving same.
7. Loco monitoring, using on-board tapes – continuous radio transmission – black box concept, etc.
8. Automatic Warning Devices for track maintenance gangs – possibly using Radio transmission.
9. Automatic Train Control for one man operation.
10. Automatic Vehicle identification system – connecting this into a Radio Token type system.
11. Investigate philosophy of speed as against route signailing for high speed lines, incorporating use of speed instruction by cab display.