2008 – March – Stainlay & Glendinning – ETCS Revealed – The RailCorp Experience

Graeme Stainlay B.Sc, BE (Elec) (Hons) David Glendinning BE (Elec) (Hons), Post.Grad. Dip. RailSig Rail Corporation New South Wales Rail Corporation New South Wales (RailCorp) is currently conducting a Trial Project of four suppliers of the European Train Control System (ETCS), a first for Australia. In order to evaluate each of the supplier’s equipment, ETCS key concepts and benefits, various test runs and simulations were conducted over each of the test sites. Outputs of this evaluation will influence the development of a new set of Design Principles suitable for ETCS within the RailCorp context and future implementation strategies of this technology across the RailCorp network. Key elements of this evaluation include the relationship between release speeds, the placement of infill balises and suitable overlap distances; linking reactions between balise groups; mitigation strategies for error margins within the onboard system and position of balises; the suitability of the onboard system operating modes; and potential operational and technical benefits from implementing ETCS.