2008 – March – Nikandros – ATP – 20 Years On

George Nikandros BE CPEng RPEQ FIRSE MIEAust MACS QR Limited QR has had some 20 years operational experience with ATP with some 2500 route kilometres equipped, including some 1000 kilometres in “dark territory”, utilised by a wide range train services. QR is well aware of the operational performance limitations associated with ATP on such a diverse railway. The WESTECT ATP system has been in operation for about 13 years and elements of the system are now nearing end-of-life. In July 2007, QR entered into a contract to replace life-expiring elements and at the same time enhance the product to improve operational performance. The paper discusses the operational performance of ATP, with a focus on WESTECT and reports on the WESTECT enhancements being implemented. The paper concludes with the lessons in adopting ATP.