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Frank Heibel PhD MSc (Hon) MIEAust CPEng FIRSE

Doc Frank Training and Consulting

The mixed operation of different railways with diverging operational characteristics has always been a challenge for the signalling industry. Conventional signalling, with optical lineside signals and fixed block sections defined by track circuits or axle counters, allows for basic levels of signalling interoperability. But things get more complicated when introducing additional safety systems such as Automatic Train Protection (ATP), or wider performance enhancements via Automatic Train Control (ATC), as fitted and unfitted trains will require very different operational handling.

The next level of complexity will be added as metropolitan railways develop into high capacity metro-style operations, utilising in-cab signalling without lineside signals and sometimes even without the need for trackside train detection. The most popular technology example for such high performance signalling is Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) with moving block principles. The operational gap between high performance metro railways and conventional regional rail services into city centres becomes increasingly bigger and calls for enhancements to the regional services to avoid that performance gains from in-cab signalling are undone by mixed traffic requirements on the same rail corridor.

This paper will investigate options for bridging the gap between metro and regional rail services to improve safety and performance for both transport modes, using Melbourne’s Cranbourne-Pakenham Rail Corridor as case study.