2024 – March – Zhu, Lauro & Nardi – Innovative Tablet Solution for Improving Rail Operation
Author(s): Dr Bin Zhu, Gianluigi Lauro & Federico Nardi
Date presented:
Technical Meeting Papers
Technical Meetings are held three times per year.
Papers are available here for download.
You must be logged in to be able to download content.
2003 – November – Lyons – Resignalling the NSW Country Network
Date Presented: December 27th, 2015
Mark Lyons Rail Infrastructure Corporation The NSW country network is a patchwork of signalling systems built between 1900 and 2000. This mix of signalling systems and the age of the signalling has led to a system that does not and cannot meet the operational needs of the Rail Infrastructure Corporation. The Rail Infrastructure Corporation has commenced a project to increase Rail Business throughout the NSW country network. This paper describes the broad objectives of the resignalling project and describes in detail the Bathurst Resignalling Project, one of the first of 37 projects to be completed over a three year period. The scope of works and functionality for the remote control of the Bathurst, Kelso and Newbridge signal interlockings will be covered, including the new technologies introduced on this project and the interfacing between these technologies. This paper will describe in detail the method of operation introduced for the single line block section between Bathurst and Newbridge, including the use of the US&S Pheonix Train Control System. The aim of this paper is to also provide a greater insight into Microlok II Coded Track Circuits and factors to be considered when adopting this technology.
Read More...
2014 – March – Oliver – MPLS Based Networks in Railway Deployment
Date Presented: December 27th, 2015
Adam Oliver Bachelor of Engineer Calibre Global Safe and reliable communications are a critical component in operating modern railway networks. Voice radio, signalling, asset protection, CCTV, station services and alarms form the basis of a typical rail system, with telephony, data and internet connectivity between offices shaping corporate requirements. These services are traditionally provisioned through a combination of separate Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH), Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH), Ethernet and legacy analogue circuits, resulting in increased maintenance and support requirements. As more railways move towards Communications Based Signalling (CBS) systems bandwidth requirements increase, with a corresponding focus on reliability and resilience. Coupled with growing focus on Ethernet connectivity for hardware, an opportunity exists to explore alternate network arrangements that are more holistically encompassing of all supported technologies and their requirements. Implementation of an IP/MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switched) network allows convergence of these disparate networks into a single unified system. Key infrastructure can be shared between different facets of an organisation on a single physical network, whilst maintaining completely independent circuits for the various services being transported. In contrast to an IP-only implementation, where scalability and traffic engineering can be challenging as network size increases, an IP/MPLS solution allows a network to grow as needed, while providing excellent load balancing to make better use of existing network infrastructure. This in turn can lead to savings in both OPEX and CAPEX, as both infrastructure and maintenance costs are reduced. Ideally suited to both green and brown field rollouts, an IP/MPLS based network is a viable solution for any network rollout.
Read More...
1997 – July – Clenick – Cirebon-Kroya-Yogyakarta – Resignalling Project
Date Presented: December 27th, 2015
Own Clenick B.E (Hons). MIRSE. RPEQ and Reg. Eng. NZ Westinghouse Signals Australia The Indonesian Government railways are operated by PERUMKA which is currently a semi Corporation contained within the Directorate General of Land Transport and Inland Waterways (DGLT) which is itself under the Department of Communications. PERUMKA has an extensive railway network in Java but most of the signalling is still mechanical and up to sixty years old. Over the last twenty-five years relay interlocking have been installed at the larger stations to increase operating efficiency. The planning of DGLT and PERUMKA has been to resignal the main lines in Java to increase the traffic capacity. WSA began investigating the resignalling of the railway between Cirebon-Kroya-Yogyakarta in 1987 in cooperation with AusAID under the Development Import Finance Facility (or DIFF) program. Under this program the Australian Government makes a grant which allows the Indonesian Government to obtain a loan with lower than market interest rates to finance the project. The review of railways signalling technology to be used in Indonesia by the Indonesian Government and other factors deferred progress and the preliminary joint site surveys with PERUMKA took place in June 1992. After the tendering and evaluation process the contract to resignal this section of line was signed between DGLT and WSA on 13 April 1993 for a value of A$115.318.000
Read More...
2004 – July – Clenick – WESTRACE In Malaysia
Date Presented: December 27th, 2015
Owen Clenick BE(Hons), MIRSE, RPEQ Regional Manager Invensys Rail Systems Australia Westinghouse Signals Australia Division This paper overviews two WESTRACE computer based interlocking projects in Malaysia. It covers all aspects from concept, through design, installation and commissioning to the review of project success several years after the projects were completed. Both applications of WESTRACE were different from usual signal applications but have been proven to be highly reliable with "stand alone" (not "hot standby") interlockings.
Read More...
1991 – Aug – Hyland – Ranking of Signalling Infrastructure Renewals within a Suburban Railway Environment
Date Presented: December 27th, 2015
D HYLAND, BE, MIE Aust, Director, Hyland Joy & Wardrop Pty Ltd J R KENNEDY, ARMIT, MIE Aust, Principal, Interlogis Consulting This paper summarises the assumptions used and the methodology developed to rank projects to be included in the Signal Renewal and Modernisation Project. The application of risk analysis techniques using as a comparative measure the loss exposure that could result from not doing the work was used to rank projects to provide the maximum return on investment and to ensure that only work that would have a significant impact on the operation of the system was done. The evaluation method allows management to:- identify the safety and service risk that could be eliminated by doing specific projects assess the cost to provide a specified level of service and safety or alternatively the levels that can be provided for the funding available.
Read More...
2010 – March – McGregor – Using Six Sigma to Improve Track Circuit Reliability
Date Presented: December 27th, 2015
Peter McGregor BEng(Elect) Grad Dip (Systems) MIRSE Head of Signalling Design – Professional Services Division, RailCorp Is Six Sigma just another management fad? Is it just another business opportunity for the consultancy industry? Yes, it could be if you let it. For RailCorp our six sigma journey has commenced with an initial number of projects in the Asset Management group focusing on reliability improvements which were being sought by the organisation. In the first part of the paper I give a brief introduction to six sigma and what it is. I than go onto describe how we commenced using six sigma and how it was applied to our reliability improvement projects. In the third part of the paper I describe in more detail a project where we used some of the six sigma tools and methodology to improve the reliability of FS2500 jointless track circuits in a critical area of the RailCorp network and how using a simple clip on ferrite solved a problem with Receiver (RX) lockup.
Read More...
2005 – Oct – Moore – Signalling Code of Practice – An Australian Perspective
Date Presented: December 27th, 2015
Trevor Moore FIRSE, FIE Aust Endeavour Management & Engineering The railways in Australia developed on a state basis before federation. Significant differences including gauge and engineering practices abounded in the early days and have continued unabated until the start of this century. With the development of national train operators and infrastructure owners crossing state borders, there is an opportunity for common engineering practices and standards. We has already seen the development of a National Code of Practice (NCOP) for Operations and more recently a Track & Civil NCOP has been developed and is gaining acceptance in multiple states in southern Australia. The paper examines the issues, opportunities and threats to the development of a Signalling Code of Practice.
Read More...
1999 – March – Ingwersen – Impact of Freight Brake Equipment on Signaling
Date Presented: December 27th, 2015
Michael Ingwersen Institute of Engineers Railway Technical Society Bachelor of Engineering, Mechanical Knorr Brakc Australia Pty Limited Railway brake technology has changed little this century but market demands and technology advancements are forcing necessary changes. These changes will affect signaling infrastructure and require signaling design engineers to consider the current developments and those proposed for the future. These latest braking developments will decrease the stopping distances required for long freight trains and allow trains to run closer, with decreased headways. This will allow more trains to run on existing tract infrastructure, increasing the number of pathways available thus decreasing the environmental impact and cost of providing additional tract infrastructure.
Read More...
2008 – March – Coenraad – Presidential Address – Sustainable Signalling
Date Presented: December 27th, 2015
Win Coenraad Control and Signalling (CCS) systems are expensive to develop, and are even more expensive in terms of system assurance activities and system acceptance. Yet they are developed for a mature market where innovation or product development does not create significant new revenue, neither for suppliers nor for operators, unless they provide improvement in speed, capacity or indeed safety. Typically new products only replace existing product lines. This is true even for ERTMS/ETCS. The increased speed of technological development and innovation leads to a shorter technical life expectancy. Changing demands for transportation services imply a need for more flexible technical systems, able to adapt "rapidly" to changing performance needs (throughput/capacity, reliability and robustness etc.) Hence CCS systems will need to be able to be adaptable and upgradeable. The signalling industry/profession cannot hope to meet the demands of its clients, i.e. the train- and rolling stock operators, (local-) governments etc. and perhaps even survive, if the lead-time for development and acceptance and the associated costs are not brought under control. One of the objectives of the ERTMS/ETCS project is to address this issue, in part, by specifying a harmonised system, for a larger market, applying the principles of interoperability and mandatory crossacceptance of constituents. In this context it should be interesting to examine ERTMS/ETCS, a system development that started in late 1989 with the founding of UIC/ERRI A200 and is now, more than 17 years onwards, starting to see its first deployments in commercial projects. Whilst specifications are still being finalised, a common factor in the first deployment projects appears to be that none, or not many of them, were completed in time and on budget. In an effort to learn from the collective experience of both the suppliers, the infrastructure operators and the ultimate users, the passenger and freight operators, I would like to centre the theme for the 2007-2008 technical meetings, the international convention and the technical visits around lessons learned and paths forward towards better control of the cycle time for system development, system and product acceptance and deployment. For this year’s international convention in the Netherlands, this is the theme chosen for the visits to the Dutch projects.
Read More...
2003 – November – Brearley – Supporting Technology – The CRC Course in Signal Engineering
Date Presented: December 27th, 2015
Les Brearley BE (Elect), Grad Dip Bus, FIRSE, RPEQ Manager, Systems Safety and Quality Union Switch & Signal Pty Ltd The technology supplied by the railway signalling industry requires the support of appropriate education and training to deliver safe and efficient systems for railway operations. In the past there has not been a common, formally structured course available for the signalling engineering profession in Australia. The need for such a course has increased with the ongoing changes in the rail industry structure over the past decade and the agingprofile of signalling engineers in Australia. To fulfil this need, the Co-operative Research Centre for Engineering and Technologies (Rail CRC) has sponsored the development of a project based, distance learning course for railway signalling in Australia using innovative teaching approaches to meet the needs of individual States. The objective of the signalling course is to develop in the students the skills and knowledge required by competent signal engineering practitioners. The course is being developed with wide input from industry and will require further support during the delivery phase. The successful establishment of this course is a vital element in ensuring that there is sufficient competent signal engineering staff for the future. This in turn is a fundamental requirement in ensuring the effective implementation of signalling technology for railways. This paper builds on a paper presented to the Institution in August 2002 and sets out the stakeholders in the course and the innovative education approach that is being adopted to meet the industry's needs.
Read More...
2024 – March – Sudholz – Passively Active – Warning Systems for Passive & Occupation Level Crossings in Agricultural Settings
Author(s): Thomas Sudholz
Date presented:
This Paper investigates the issues regarding use of passive level crossings for livestock movements in the agricultural industry. This unavoidable practice presents a different risk profile to the typical user, with livestock movement being
2024 – March – Robinson – Barriers to innovation in signalling design, verification, and validation
Author(s): Neil Robinson
Date presented:
I started in signalling more than 30 years ago at British Rail, where I learnt how to design interlockings, initially in relay circuits, and then by programming Solid State Interlockings. This work sparked my interest in safety critical syste
2024 – March – Moore – Signalling Principles – What are they and where do they come from?
Author(s): Trevor Moore
Date presented:
The term signalling principles is often referenced with regards to the design of a signalling system. It is also used as part of the title of a person ‘Principles Verifier’ or ‘Principles Tester’. Some rail managers also reference signalling p
2024 – March – Khan & Kamarulzaman – FRMCS – Integrated Migration Strategy
Author(s): Obaid Khan & Khairulzaman Kamarulzaman
Date presented:
This paper offers a detailed FRMCS integrated migration strategy as a preparatory guide for current GSM-R users, particularly Rail Transport Operators (RTOs), as well as for projects in the planning and developmen
2024 – March – Alvarez – Case Study – FRMCS Migration Path in Perth
Author(s): Rodrigo Alvarez
Date presented:
The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA) is currently building a new mobile radio and backhaul transmission communications network across the Perth metropolitan electrified railway network.
2024 – August – Burns – Human Factors at Level Crossings
Author(s): Peter Burns
Date presented:
Today’s railway fatalities are arguably more likely to occur at level crossings than in the train collisions we tend to focus most attention on controlling. Designing for level crossing safety can be messy and grey, especially when the dependen
2024 – August – Boss – Human aspects of managing cyber security in delivering ERTMS
Author(s): John Boss
Date presented:
The Netherlands is rolling out the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) across the national network. The government created a Programme Directorate to manage the rollout. Cyber security for both ERTMS as well as the transportation syst
2022 – November – Youle – Qualitative analysis – the more efficient approach to managing risks SFAIRP
Author(s): Patrick Youle
Date presented:
To support the acceptance of safety risk for configuration changes to railways, systems engineering recognises both qualitative and quantitative hazard and risk assessment methods. Quantitative analysis can be perceived as objective and quali
2022 – November – Hunter – Cybersecurity in the Railway Industry
Author(s): Hugh Hunter
Date presented:
Cybersecurity is a hot topic worldwide with regular attacks being performed against multiple domains.