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Technical Meeting Papers

Technical Meetings are held three times per year.
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2024 – March – Zhu, Lauro & Nardi – Innovative Tablet Solution for Improving Rail Operation
By: Dr Bin Zhu, Gianluigi Lauro & Federico Nardi
Date Presented: March 12th, 2024

In this paper, we would like to introduce an innovative proposal based on the research conducted by the Hitachi Rail Innovation team to further improve the existing available tablet application, particularly


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2024 – March – Sudholz – Passively Active – Warning systems for passive & occupation level crossings in agricultural settings
By: Thomas Sudholz
Date Presented: March 12th, 2024

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


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2024 – March – Robinson – Barriers to innovation in signalling design, verification, and validation
By: Neil Robinson
Date Presented: March 12th, 2024

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


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2024 – March – Moore – Signalling Principles – What are they and where do they come from?
By: Trevor Moore
Date Presented: March 12th, 2024

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


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2024 – March – Khan & Kamarulzaman – FRMCS – Integrated Migration Strategy
By: Obaid Khan & Khairulzaman Kamarulzaman
Date Presented: March 12th, 2024

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


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2024 – March – Alvarez – Case Study – FRMCS Migration Path in Perth
By: Rodrigo Alvarez
Date Presented: March 13th, 2024

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. 


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2024 – August – Burns – Human Factors at Level Crossings
By: Peter Burns
Date Presented: August 21st, 2024

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


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2024 – August – Boss – Human aspects of managing cyber security in delivering ERTMS
By: John Boss
Date Presented: August 21st, 2024

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


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2022 – November – Youle – Qualitative analysis – the more efficient approach to managing risks SFAIRP
By: Patrick Youle
Date Presented: November 1st, 2022

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


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2022 – November – Hunter – Cybersecurity in the Railway Industry
By: Hugh Hunter
Date Presented: November 1st, 2022

Cybersecurity is a hot topic worldwide with regular attacks being performed against multiple domains.


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2000 – Nov – Edwards – Lightning & Surge Protection for Railway Signalling Systems

Author(s):
Date presented: December 27th, 2015

David Edwards BE(Hons) FREE MlEAust CPEng ERICO Lightning Technologies Pty Ltd, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Lightning and over-current/over-voltage surges cause millions of dollars damage each year. Whilst there is no single technology that can prevent damage, a Six Point Protection Plan is the best "Check-list" to cover all damage mechanisms. The plan takes account of surge protection devices (SPDs) and their placement according to the type of power distribution used by the facility. Communications, signal and data lines are also subject to failure. Innovative grounding practices and techniques are discussed.

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2005 – Aug – McDonald – Training to a Specification or How to Ruin a Good Training Course

Author(s):
Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Wayne McDonald BE (Elec) FIRSE Westinghouse Signals Australia Rail authorities include some interesting requirements in specifications for technical training to be deliveres as part of a signalling contract. Few of these have any relevance to the delivery of high quality, competency skills that will aid the participants perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively. Specification often place unreasonable demands on a supplier who has made a huge investment on training. The important facets are often overlooked along with any follow up or effort to improve the training in future. This paper looks at some of the issues from a Training Provider's view - what works, what doesn't what's reasonable and what adds cost with no value. It offers some suggestions on some of the more important short and long term considerations to maximise your benefit from training. In particular, it examins the best ways to ruin - and not to ruin - good training.  

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2005 – March – Jehan – 150 Years of Passenger Car Development

Author(s):
Date presented: December 27th, 2015

David Jehan BE (Hons), MBT, MIEAust., CPEng. Business Development ManagerPassenger Services, Southern RegionEDI Rail Passenger car design in Australia has evolved from the small wooden four wheel 'dog boxes' of the past to the air conditioned stainless steel trains we now see in various parts of the country. This paper briefly covers the innovation of Australian passenger car'design as it has progressed over time. Australia has had a very unique network of state based rail systems that have developed differently over the years due to various factors including climate, terrain, rail gauge, loading gauge and politics. The last decade have seen a great uniformity develop in the freight sector of the rail system, which has been primarily driven by the private sector. However, the development of the passenger sector, particularly suburban passenger vehicles, continues to be unique to the state in which it operates.

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2005 – March – Allison – 150 Years of NSW Railway Signalling

Author(s):
Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Warwick Allison FIRSE RailCorp When I was first approached to present a signalling paper to celebrate the 150th anniversary of railways in NSW, it was thought that an analysis of the various technologies used could lead to an understanding of what drove the changes. Personalities, politics and opportunities were all important drivers in change. Understanding of why we have what we have is an important element in understanding where we should be going. While the development of the technology was largely performed overseas, in general the colonies were not averse to adopting it. But it was more than the technologies, and the opportunities. The important consideration of signalling philosophy under pinned how the technology was applied. In some cases this was ad hoc, or simply what someone else had done. In other cases (and particularly in NSW) it was a fresh beginning. The opportunities aligned with the technology and the vision to provide a system that would cater for the long term traffic demand and operation of the railways occurred conjointly with the needs for duplication and later, electrification. I have tried to tie developments together with the other states to give an overall picture of what was happening at the time. However there is a clear NSW bias, and as this is being presented in NSW 150th rail year, I make no apology for it.

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2015 – March – Ramsdale – Transforming V/Line’s Regional Rail Network

Author(s):
Date presented: December 27th, 2015

David Ramsdale B.Bus, CPA, MBA Senior Associate - Advisian This paper articulates how Regional Rail Link (RRL) significantly transforms V/Line’s Regional Rail Network. Regional Rail Link provides dedicated regional tracks from West Werribee Junction to Deer Park, then along the existing corridor from Sunshine to Southern Cross Station. The project has delivered approximately 90km of new tracks for Melbourne’s regional rail network providing Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong services with their own dedicated Up and Down track pair to Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station. The project provides two new stations, being Wyndham Vale and Tarneit, removal of two level crossings at Anderson Road in Sunshine and 13 road and rail grade separations on the greenfield corridor section between West Werribee and Deer Park Junction. The project also delivered upgrades to stations including Footscray and Sunshine, a new stabling facility in Melbourne for V/Line trains, and other associated infrastructure.

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2004 – October – Short – The Aftermath of Salisbury

Author(s):
Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Peter Short Bachelor of Engineering, Civil Department of Transport and Urban Planning, Transport SA This paper details the events following the tragic accident of 24 October 2002, when the Ghan passenger train collided with a car and public transport bus at the Park Terrace level crossing, Salisbury. Four people died and 26 people were injured in the accident. The State Government initiated a number of investigations into the cause of the accident, and to identify safety initiatives that could be implemented at and around the level crossing to reduce the risk of a similar accident occurring in the future. The key safety initiatives were trialed over a six-week period and showed to significantly reduce the risk of a traffic queue forming on the level crossing. Following the trial further works were implemented to improve efficiency of the road network in the immediate vicinity of the level crossing and to further improve safety. Since the implementation of the initiatives, the Department of Transport and Urban Planning, Transport SA has received no incident reports relating to traffic queues on the level crossing.

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2004 – March – Earl – Remote Level Crossing Monitoring

Author(s):
Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Cameron Earl BE Elec (Honours), GradIEAust Works Infrastructure Remote Monitoring technology has become commercially viable to the Victorian rail industry over the past 10 years, due to the availability of small, cost effective industrial microprocessors, coupled with the expansion of mobile phone coverage in country areas. Isolated locations such as active level crossings now have a reliable, longer-range medium that allows the transmission of timely and useful quantities of data. The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has approved a project for the remote monitoring of all 132 level crossings on the ARTC Victorian Standard Gauge Rail Network. This is based on the desire to detect crossing faults, and to implement the National Code of Practice (NCOP) for inspection frequencies. Monitoring equipment will be installed at each level crossing location, which would monitor the crossing control circuits.The monitoring system will be designed to allow for future expansion, to enable data collection from other signalling infrastructure if required. This also ties in with the possibility of satellite technology becoming a viable medium for the improved control of rail traffic, which would rationalise the present signalling system.

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2004 – July – Piper – Train Detection System Used On The KL Monorai

Author(s):
Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Zachary Piper IRSE Student Member B.Eng Electrical Ansaldo Signal Union Switch and Signal Pty. Ltd. Traditional means of vital train detection used on railways are unable to be applied to the KL Monorail, which runs on pneumatic tyres, therefore an alternate means of detection is required. The TDS (Train Detection System) used on the monorail was adapted from a platform door alignment system designed specifically for the driverless Copenhagen Metro by US&S Inc. The TDS used on the KL Monorail utilizes AFO-IIC (Audio Frequency Overlay) equipment that is typically employed as a track circuit which is superimposed over other types of track circuits. The AFO system consists of a transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx). The Tx units produce a amplitude modulated waveform at a particular frequency to which the Rx unit is tuned and will respond to. The units used on the monorail have been specially modified to increase the output from the transmitters and the sensitivity of the receivers. This includes additional impedance matching components to optimize energy transfer between the coil antennae that are connected to their output/inputs. This TDS comprises a transmitter unit and antenna which attaches below the vehicle skirting at the front and rear of the train. This couples with a fixed antenna mounted on the side of the monorail beam which is connected to a receiver. When trains pass over the fixed wayside antennae the receivers detect the AM waveform from the trains and indicate to the Processor Based Interlocking. The PBI uses these indications to count trains in and out of track sections, in a similar fashion to an axle counter, so the track section occupancy status is always known. Because the equipment has never been applied this way before, all parameters that affect the overall performance of the TDS had firstly to be identified and then tested in the factory and field to establish the installation parameters of the system. Specific issues included: vital input processing of the PBI, positioning of both onboard and the wayside antennae, wayside cabling effects upon received voltage. All items were carefully tested to determine the maximum train speed under which the TDS could reliably detect. A maximum running speed over detection points of 45Km/h was achieved by the TDS. A higher running speed sort by the client at a site of a future station saw an increased detectable speed of 65Km/h by modifying the interface between the AFO and the PBI.

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2013 – March – Aitken – Communication in Emergency: Success or Failure?

Author(s):
Date presented: December 27th, 2015

John Aitken BE MIRSE MIEEE Aitken & Partners Emergency implies urgency. Not just urgency but abnormality. We have no difficulty dealing with what is normal, routine. However, when an emergency arises our systems are often found wanting.Communication systems are not just collections of technology but are interactions between people, with technology interposed. The systems are inherently complex and over time they change: through changes in people, in organisations and in technology. The change may be subtle, an unnoticed drift from safe operation. Sometimes the change is only evident when an urgent, abnormal situation arises. Incidents from around the world form the basis of this paper. In each of these incidents the communication system has failed those who depended on it in a time or emergency. In few of these incidents did the technology require repair: rather, a defect in the complex system of communication was exposed. Myth and legend are inadequate substitutes for thorough training, system analysis and testing. Too often the consequence has been fatalities. This paper seeks to address some of the causes and suggest solutions.

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2003 – July – Costa and Ursich – Westnet Rail Processor Based Interlocking Project – Western Australia

Author(s):
Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Lido Costa Union Switch & Signal Pty Ltd John Ursich WestNet Rail Pty Ltd The Processor Based Interlocking "PBI" Project commenced in October 1999 and included the control of 40 stations extending from Coolup 40 km south of Perth through to Koolyanobbing East, which is 400 km east of Perth in the rail network. Figure 1 shows the extent of the WestNet Rail mainline routes. The project has successfully delivered a new Train Control System, PBI's and a variety of interface designs to new and existing equipment. This paper discusses some of the engineering challenges, achievements, safety benefits and future opportunities such a project brings to the railway operation.

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