198608 – Balck – The Ericab 700 ATC System – Economics, Design & Reliability

The installation of a system for train control throughout the railway network in a country is a major undertaking. It has been a particularly exciting job for the Swedish Railway Administration, SJ, since the Administration wanted to install a system of high traffic engineering quality at a reasonable cost, There was no suitable product available in the market. The intermittent systems of the INDUSI type were too simple, and the LZB continuous system too expensive. The Administration therefore decided to develop its own system in collaboration with the industry. The final decision was made in 1976 and equipment was ordered. Since then, the project planning, installation and training sections of the Administration have been hard pressed trying to carry out the project in accordance with a very strict time schedule. During this time the need for keeping to the time schedule has been further emphasised, since a number of accidents have occurred which could probably have been avoided if the system had been in operation.