199311 – Thompson – Alternative Safe Working (ASW): Controller Workstations

The Alternative Safeworking System (ASW) being introduced into V/Line operations of the Public Transport Corporation comprises the following main items:

– Rules
– Controller Workstations
– Radio System
– Locomotive Display Units

The Controller Workstation portion described in this paper is a subset of the RAILPAC system. The reader is referred to the paper presented by Tom Deveney at the November 1992 Technical Meeting of the IRSE for details of the Rules embedded in the workstations and for brief details of the Locomotive Display Unit. ASW is a combined in-cab Authority system and a Train Order system.

The RAILPAC modules applicable to ASW are:

– User interface
– Train Authority Functions
– Interlocking
– Conflict Detection and Resolution
– Time table entry
– Logging and reporting
– Network Database
– lnterface with Operations Coordination System (OCS)
– Editors

Specific attention has been paid in the system design to the hardware configuration to ensure high availability and to the interface to the existing radio communication network.

In addition to the safeworking needs, a requirement of ASW is to provide an integrated environment with the Operations Co-ordination System (OCS) for train management.

The remaining modules comprising the full RAILPAC system are also mentioned in the following description. These optional features can be added at any time. The modules are:

– Conventional CTC functions
– Automatic Routing
– Enhanced Conflict Resolution
– lnterface to other control systems

In considering the approach to use for the ASW system, it was considered important that any software must be independent from proprietary hardware designs. RAILPAC meets this objective and has been ported to a number of hardware platforms. The operating environment chosen is UNIX and X-Windows with all programs in “C” and “C++”.