Rail freight - wagons being loaded at a freight yard. (Network Rail)
The freight industry in
Scotland has collectively launched a new strategy intended to increase the
amount of freight moved by rail. This is in response to a target set by the
Scottish Government last year for 7.5 per cent growth.
The freight operating companies
and Network Rail came together with freight users, industry bodies and hauliers
to create an ambitious plan that sets out what is needed to support rail
freight growth. It also considers how to increase both the average speed of a
freight train and reliability, so that punctuality can be improved.
The strategy includes for areas
for improvement:
Encouraging customer confidence;
Developing growth;
Doing things differently;
Achieving simpler solutions.
With over 600 freight trains running on Great Britain’s network every day, 50 of which are in Scotland, over 4 million tonnes were transported by rail in the last year. This benefitted the Scottish economy alone by around £200 million.
Rail freight – wagons being loaded at a freight yard. (Network Rail)
The environmental benefits of transferring freight from the roads to rail are well documented. As part of this plan, the rail freight industry is committed to transfer at least 1,700 lorry movements a year from Scotland’s road network to rail over the next five years. Each tonne of freight transported by rail reduces carbon emissions by seven percent compared to road and each freight train removes between 25 and 62 HGVs from Scottish roads.
Paul McMahon, managing director for freight and national passenger operators. (Network Rail)
Network Rail’s managing
director of freight and national passenger operators Paul McMahon said: “Our
freight customers are a vital part of Scotland’s railways and the Scottish
economy. Scottish growth also needs to be considered as part of our GB-wide
network as this will make sure that the required capacity and capability exists
both north and south of the border.
“Network Rail champions and
supports freight. We, and the rail freight industry, welcome the growth target
and we will continue to work together in delivering the uplift.”
The project to reopen the Airdrie to Bathgate (A2B) line in 2010 included electrification to extend the Glasgow suburban electrification network to Edinburgh via this new line. This electrification work was part of a £60 million contract to electrify 106 single track kilometres (stk) and lay 44 kilometres of track on the new line. This project, which was delivered to time and budget, was Britain’s first significant electrification since the 1994 Heathrow and Leeds North West electrification schemes.
After this
long gap, A2B was to be the first of many new electrification schemes as the UK
government had accepted the benefits of electrification. Between 2009 and 2012,
it announced electrification of Great Western main line, North Western lines,
South Wales main line, Midland main line, Electric Spine, Crossrail, Gospel Oak
to Barking line and West Midlands suburban lines. In addition, the Scottish
government was funding various electrification schemes. These electrification
programmes totalled over 2,000stk.
The Great Western electrification programme (GWEP) started in 2010 and was to cost £1 billion. By 2016, its cost had risen to £2.8 billion and its scope was reduced. By 2017, the government had lost faith and cancelled the Midland main line, Swansea and Windermere electrification schemes. This was justified by the claim that electrification was not necessary as new bi-mode trains offer the same passenger benefits despite their diesel mode having about two thirds the power of their electric mode (issue 157, November 2017).
RIA’s cost challenge
Although
electrification offers significant passenger, cost, reliability and
environmental benefits, these benefits will not be realised unless the UK
Government is convinced that any future electrification will cost far less than
GWEP has.
The
Railway Industry Association (RIA) considers that electrification remains the
optimum technical solution for intensively used railways – if it can be
delivered at an acceptable cost. Its technical director, David Clarke, who
considers that the industry can and must deliver electrification at a lower
cost, is leading RIA’s Electrification Cost Challenge, which recently produced
its report. This highlights lessons from schemes in the UK, notably Scotland,
and elsewhere to show that electrification can be delivered at a lower cost
than GWEP.
David
acknowledges that much went wrong with GWEP, but he feels that it is not
helpful to assign blame as “the whole industry got it wrong” and the important
thing is to recognise the problems and learn lessons. In this respect his
report identified the following reasons for GWEP’s cost escalation:
Unrealistic programme as completion date was set by delivery date for new trains determined by the Department for Transport;
Immature estimates with little survey information or cost data from recent schemes;
Unclear specification as Network Rail didn’t know whether the Department for Transport wanted trains to run at 125 or 140mph;
The development of high-output electrification construction trains that had not been used before;
Unnecessarily conservative pile design requiring piles up to 15 metres long which resulted in poor productivity with many repeat visits to individual sites;
Competition for delivery resources, for example with North Western, Scottish and Midland main line electrification schemes all taking place at the same time;
Introduction of new UK requirements for multiple pantograph operation at up to 140 mph (later reduced to 125mph) resulted in a new OLE design specification that was more onerous than the European Energy Technical Standard for Interoperability (ENE TSI) which was itself under revision when the project was being designed;
In addition, the UK introduced more onerous clearance requirements than ENE TSI and it was initially perceived that the ORR expected absolute compliance rather than allowing deviation following robust risk assessment and appropriate safety measures;
The unproven Series 1 overhead line system was developed during project delivery and was designed for 125mph multiple-pantograph operation, TSI compliance and ease of installation;
The volume of planning permissions and consents was under estimated;
The lack of a collaborative contracting strategy with clear objectives, shared incentives and fewer interfaces.
RIA’s
electrification cost challenge report explains how lessons from the above have
been learnt and implemented. Furthermore, it shows that the underlying cause of
most of the above issues is the British ‘feast and famine’ approach to
electrification, which meant that there was initially insufficient expertise to
design, plan and deliver electrification projects on the scale of the GWEP.
This was not a problem for the much smaller Airdrie to Bathgate electrification as, in 2010, it did not have to compete for resources. In addition, it did not have the problems of unclear specification or standards changes. This perhaps explains why this electrification work was delivered to time and budget.
Team Scotland
Unlike
Westminster, the Scottish Government is committed to a substantial rolling
programme of electrification that, it believes, will bring significant
economic, social and environmental benefits. Including A2B, it has funded a
rolling programme of seven separate schemes over a ten-year period that will
have electrified over 500stk once the Shotts scheme is completed in May.
The
Scottish electrification experience provides useful information for RIA’s
electrification study, which notes that two schemes completed in 2014,
Cumbernauld and Rutherglen, delivered electrification for less than £0.75
million per stk. However, the RIA report notes that £/stk is actually quite a
crude measure of performance in view of the varying amount of electrification
clearance and power supply work between different schemes.
Although
the Edinburgh to Glasgow main line electrification was over budget at £2
million per stk, the later Alloa and Shotts schemes, which both required
significant clearance works, each cost £1.5 million per stk. The RIA report
concluded: “Having a rolling programme of electrification in Scotland is
benefiting from learning and experience being passed from one project to the
next.” It included the following examples of good practice from the Stirling, Dunblane
and Alloa electrification project:
The separation of independent activities, even though this extends the programme, into 1) bridgeworks and other route clearance; 2) site investigation; 3) grid supplies, master feed diagram, isolation and switching design; 4) foundations and 5) OLE installation;
Extensive ground investigation undertaken at 200-metre centres throughout the route;
Site-specific GRIP 4 OLE design to consider site information, including clearances, to ensure accurate development of GRIP 5 detailed OLE design;
Foundation options derived from ground investigation CAD model developed from all possible sources with 1.2-metre-cube trial holes dug at each planned location to confirm foundation setting out and design;
Staged approach to OLE design using finalised isolation and switching design and as-built foundation positions;
Foundations installed using MOVAX vibrating units mounted on road-rail vehicles;
A common data model that included steelwork foundation, masts and small parts schedules, material allocation and the wiring CAD model;
Masts installed using a road-rail vehicle-mounted manipulator, rather than a crane, with small parts steelwork pre-fixed to avoid working at height;
To maximise wiring train productivity, particular attention was paid to special foundations to ensure that all masts would be in place for each wire-run with cantilevers and registration arms pre-registered to +/- 50mm prior to wiring;
Extended midweek ‘rules of the route’ access negotiated so that night-time engineering access could start after the evening peak service;
A station electrical clearance risk assessment process was developed to assess acceptable clearances for use in OLE design.
Foundations and arrestors
Amongst
the various cost-saving measures included in RIA’s report, two particularly
noteworthy initiatives are Network Rail’s new standard for foundation design
and the use of surge arrestors to reduce clearance costs.
A major
factor in GWEP’s cost escalation were obviously over-engineered foundations, up
to 15 metres deep, which were the result of an analytical risk-averse design
approach. The RIA report considered this to be a major factor in the
programme’s poor productivity and resultant cost escalation.
Previously
foundations had been designed using empirical methods derived from field tests
carried out by the UIC’s Office for Research and Experiments (ORE) in the
1950s. To validate a return to this previous approach, Network Rail engaged the
University of Southampton to carry out full-scale field tests to extend the ORE
design methodology to 610mm-diameter circular hollow section piles over
in-service loading conditions that are at the upper end of current operational
experience.
The
results of this research are now incorporated in Network Rail standard
NR/L2/CIV/074 ‘Design and installation of overhead line foundations’. RIA’s
report notes that it is encouraging that the Bedford to Corby electrification
project is now installing 95 per cent of its piles using ORE design methods to
achieve productivity of six piles in the available working time of 4 hours 30
minutes.
As
described in issue 158 (December 2017), surge arrestors have been successfully
introduced on Danish Railways to reduce bridge electrification clearances.
These work by limiting any over-voltages, for example from lightning strikes.
When combined with contact wire covers and an electrical insulating coating
(onto an earthing plate) electrical clearances required in both wet and dry
conditions are significantly reduced.
The
University of Southampton was also involved in this initiative as it carried
out 193kV tests under controlled conditions under Network Rail’s supervision to
determine that, with this mitigation, minimum electrical clearance requirements
could be reduced from 270mm to 150mm.
Just
outside Cardiff Central Station, there is a low and highly skewed bridge over
the railway which itself crosses a substantial culvert. To obtain the required
electrical clearance, the reconstruction of this bridge had been costed at
£40-£50 million and the estimate of an alternative option of track lowering and
a culvert diversion was £10-15 million. Both these options would have been
highly disruptive.
Instead, for a cost below £1 million, Andromeda Engineering worked with Network Rail, Siemens (surge arrestors) and GLS Coatings (insulated coating on the underside of the bridge) to provide a solution that avoided the need for these expensive and disruptive options.
Affordable electrification
GWEP has
been the subject of reports by both the National Audit Office and the Public
Accounts Committee that draw conclusions about programme management issues.
Neither of these reports acknowledges the difficulty of ramping-up supply-chain
capability for full route electrification after there having been no such
scheme for twenty years.
In
contrast, RIA’s electrification cost challenge report focuses on practical and
technical lessons from GWEP and other projects. It shows how solutions have
been implemented and gives examples of actual electrification costs throughout
the UK and in mainland Europe. As a result, the report concludes that, in
comparison with GWEP’s £2.8 million per stk, “all-in” electrification
(excluding route enhancement and major grid connections) should normally cost
between £1 and £1.5 million per stk.
The report
recommends that there should be a rolling electrification programme that would
maintain a core design and delivery capability and support a culture of
continuous improvement. It notes that the German rolling programme of
electrification, which retains learning and skills, delivers electrification at
significantly lower cost than the best that is currently achieved in the UK.
Although
the RIA report demonstrates that electrification can be delivered at an
affordable cost, the case for electrification requires that its benefits must
also be accepted. Amongst the many documents that show electrification’s
benefits are Network Rail’s 2009 electrification route utilisation strategy and
the Department for Transport’s 2009 Rail Electrification paper.
The DfT
paper notes that electric trains are 35 per cent cheaper to operate than
diesels. It also offers the small, but significant, benefit of more powerful
electric trains giving a four-minute journey time saving between Cardiff and
Swansea, where they must accelerate from station stop to line speed on four
occasions. Yet, when this electrification scheme was cancelled, the government
view was that electrification offered no time savings because this was not a
high-speed route.
It is to be
hoped that the UK Government accepts the strategic case for a rolling
electrification programme in the same way that it has allocated £450 million to
accelerate digital signalling technology deployment as a strategic policy not
subject to a business case. If not, the danger is that hard won lessons will be
forgotten as the historic cycle of electrification feast and famine repeats
itself.
Andrew Haines knew that Network Rail was letting its passengers and freight users down before he became its new chief executive. After a hundred days in the job, spent speaking to all concerned, he now knows what must be done. This includes the devolution of control to five new regions to make the company more responsive to its customers
This signals much more than an organisational change. Haines believes that decision-making must be closer to the end user and so is devolving many HQ roles to the new regions. These include Infrastructure Projects and elements of the engineering function.
Exactly how engineering will be devolved remains to be seen. One example is the management of standards which, as Network Rail’s own standards challenge process acknowledges, can currently be over-prescriptive.
Now, although standards management might be felt to be a headquarters function, perhaps it would be better to have standards commonly owned rather than centrally controlled. This will require highly competent regional engineers, who will be accountable for the system risk on their routes, having ownership of the standards process as a group and, as they are closer to the issues, it may well result in more appropriate standards.
There are also significant implications for the Group Digital Railway programme, which Haines does not refer to in the transformational terms used by his predecessor. Instead, the new organisation will give regions the authority to decide what is best for their customers.
However the digital railway develops, it owes a debt to David Waboso who, after joining the programme in 2016, prioritised it to deliver business benefits for passenger and freight customers. Before then, it offered digital solutions for everything everywhere. Some may be surprised to learn that David is a civil engineer, as Clive Kessell describes in a feature that marks his wide-ranging career
Minimising delays on a congested network requires the ultra-high reliability that comes from redundancy to avoid single point failures, such as those that can occur in the control, actuation, detection and locking of points. To address this problem, a new point system offering redundancy is now in trial operation. As Malcolm Dobell describes, the novel Repoint mechanism does this by having a drive mechanism that is not secured to the rails, which enables them to move with only one actuator operational.
This month, we have two general signalling features which should be of interest to non-signalling engineers. David Bickell explains how Network Rail’s 40,000 signals are part of a signalling system that has been developed to control train movements in the most efficient manner whilst optimising capacity. In another feature, which should be good reading for permanent way engineers, Paul Darlington explains train detection technology.
On Thameslink, signalling is now in the train cab. This required a significant GSM-R network upgrade to ensure resilience, provide sufficient data capacity for ETCS operation and eliminate interference in the congested London core. GSM-R interference is also an increasing problem elsewhere, as public operators are allocating frequencies close to the GSM-R bandwidth. The solution is a £55 million programme to replace 9,000 cab radios with ones that have improved filters.
Yet, in the not too-distant future, these radios will be obsolete. GSM-R will then be replaced by the Future Railways Mobile Communication System. In an in-depth feature, we consider the telecommunications technologies that might replace GSM-R. These will need to provide reliable, efficient and high-capacity connectivity for both passengers and operational services, as well as allowing for bandwidth expansion for new applications that are unknown today.
HS2 will also have trains with yet-to-be developed technologies. The company’s £2.75 billion procurement of its trains will see bidders submitting their tenders in April. This process allows for collaborative design after next year’s contract award to ensure trains are state-of-the-art when they enter service in 2026. HS2 will then provide a huge increase in capacity from London to the North and, from 2033, free up space on the West Coast, Midland and East Coast main lines, a fact which recent television documentaries have ignored.
HS2’s trains must of course be electric. No other form of traction can power high-speed trains or, indeed, those that require high acceleration to provide an acceptable service. In its report to government, the industry’s decarbonisation taskforce recognises that it is also “the most carbon efficient power source”.
Unfortunately, the UK Government has fallen out of favour with electrification due to high cost overruns of the Great Western and other electrification schemes. In its recently-released Electrification Cost Challenge report, the Railway Industry Association explains why these schemes were so costly and demonstrates how electrification can be delivered at an affordable cost, with reference to schemes in Scotland and in Europe. It remains to be seen whether the conclusions of RIA’s excellent report will be accepted so that, in future, passengers on busy non-electrified lines can experience the benefits provided by the electric trains that operate 72 per cent of the UK’s train services.
As many of our features show this month, UK rail has an encouraging future, but only if it can deliver for its customers at an affordable cost.
Fugro begins major track survey in Wales using its RILA system under new Network Rail contract
Network Rail has announced plans to conduct a survey of more than 850 route miles of track across Wales and the border counties of England. This includes the proposed and current Transport for Wales (TfW) Rail Services operational and diversionary routes and will also include data acquisition on parts of London North Western (LNW) and Western routes.
The asset information and track position data that results will be used by Network Rail to support a new train introduction programme and to validate track position on route sections throughout the country.
The contract to carry out this survey has been awarded to Fugro, building on the successful outcome of a survey of the Core Valley lines that the company conducted for TfW Rail Services in late 2018. The geo-data specialist will deploy its RILA system to capture the data from a train, removing the need for “boots on ballast”.
Indeed, Fugro’s train-mounted rail infrastructure alignment acquisition system (RILA) will be deployed on TfW Rail Services’ in-service passenger trains throughout Wales, rather than dedicated locomotives, so no additional track access capacity will be required either.
Work on the survey began in February and is providing a
holistic view of the network to high levels of accuracy. Once processed, the
resulting information will give Network Rail baseline asset data that can be used
for a range of route maintenance applications, including topographical survey extraction,
determination of heights and staggers on electrified routes, vegetation
analysis, ballast profiling and ballast volume validation.
Fugro’s global director of rail Jeroen Huiskamp commented: “With RILA, we have revolutionised the way railway data and asset information are collected. We can deliver data faster, with less disruption to normal rail services and can increase the safety profile considerably for track survey works.”
It is easy
to forget that GSM-R, as the standardised track to train radio system across
Europe, has been around for over 25 years. The agreement to use GSM technology
rather than Tetra was arrived at back in 1992, with development work to produce
the railways special requirements taking about seven years. So, from around
2000, GSM-R networks have slowly been rolled out across Europe, with most
countries now having nationwide coverage.
Key to all
of this has been the negotiation and subsequent agreement with ETSI (European
Telecommunications Standards Institute) to allocate dedicated bandwidth
consisting of a 4MHz (876-880MHz and 921-925MHz) uplink and downlink.
At the time
of allocation, the licensing authorities were mindful to keep a reasonable
separation between the GSM-R frequencies and other users. However, such is the
pressure on spectrum that, over the years, allocations have been given to the
public mobile operators that encroach very close to GSM-R bandwidth – a situation
which is now causing problems for radio reliability.
Even though
GSM-R will eventually have to be replaced, this is still several years away and
remedial action has to be taken now. Rail Engineer went to meet with Network
Rail to learn of the problem and the possible solution.
Interference Impact
All across Europe, GSM-R radio interference shows itself in different ways, but, in Great Britain, three fault conditions have been noticed:
The cab radio goes into search mode, causing a
lock up and requiring a re-initiation process that takes several minutes during
which time the train cannot make or receive emergency calls;
The radio re-boots itself, which is an
eight-step start up process that often only gets to step three;
The cab radio screen goes blank, which again
necessitates a re-initiation.
If these
occurrences were very infrequent, it might be a reasonable risk assessment to
live with the problem. However, incidents now number 240 a year, often
necessitating stopping the train whilst the re-boot or re-initialisation takes
place, causing two to three minutes delay. In total, this results in around
8,000 delay minutes being attributed to GSM-R interference problems.
Perhaps more importantly, there are safety implications and, although no safety incidents have occurred to date, Network Rail is mindful that it is only a matter of time before one happens. Something has to be done.
Checking a radio in a
Class 66 locomotive.
The solution
Although
various companies have produced the in-cab mobile equipment, logistic
considerations dictate that having a single supplier and type in any country is
a great advantage if radios are to be held at depots to fit into new rolling
stock and as spares for whenever a change out is needed.
The cab
radio supplier for Great Britain is Siemens, which manufactures the units in
Poole, Dorset. Over the years, the product (currently model V3.6) has been
refined to a very high level of reliability, now reaching 378,000 hours mean
time between failure (MTBF) for each unit. There are some 9,000 cabs (including
yellow plant) that contain a radio and an additional 2,800 are held at the
rolling stock depots.
To overcome the interference problem, these radios need to be fitted with a transceiver having much improved filters that give a sharp cut when frequencies are detected in adjacent parts of the spectrum. Filter technology has improved in line with increased bandwidth utilisation, so designing the filters has been relatively straightforward. The challenge is to provide this new filter within the same radio space envelope such that retro fitting work on the rolling stock is kept to the very minimum.
lass 43 (HST power car) roof antennas.
The V4 Radio
Network
Rail, working with Siemens, has re-developed the cab radio to incorporate the
new transceivers plus an improved power supply and audio card to further
improve reliability. The opportunity has been taken both to build in a number
of new filters mentioned above and also to incorporate a 4G LTE capability. The
specification required a radio product that has exactly the same space
envelope, has the same connections to aerials and power supply, has the same
display screen and indeed is capable of being produced by conversion of the
existing radios. In short, the new must be identical to the old in terms of
operation by the train drivers and in fitment at the depots.
That radio at V4 now exists and such is the importance of the upgrade that there is now a £55 million programme of testing and deployment across the entire fleet. Reliability remains key and, to this end, the initial production run of 100 V4 radios has been fitted to examples of rolling stock that operate over different types of railway. These include:
London North East Railway – Class 91 electric locos, Class 43 HST and Mk 4 DVT, 25 cabs in total;
Merseyrail – Class 507 and 508 EMUs, which, although shortly to be replaced, will test out operation in a tunnel environment;
South Western Railway – Class 158 and 159 DMUs;
London South Eastern Railway – Class 466 EMUs and Class 395 Javelin trains, the latter to check performance on a high-speed line;
Govia Thameslink Railway – Class 377 EMUs and the new Siemens Class 717, which will replace the Class 313 on GN inner suburban services;
Freightliner – Class 66 diesel locos, 24 in total, where the configuration is one radio wired out to a screen display unit in each cab. The radio will be fitted in the ‘clean air’ compartment known to be one of the dirtiest environments!
Transport for Wales Cambrian Route – Class 158 DMUs where the train data radio is essential for that route’s ETCS operation.
These have
been part of the initial trial that successfully demonstrated reliability well
in excess of the contracted minimum MTBF of 50,000 hours, proving that the
interference problem has been resolved. Indeed, once the number of units in
service reaches a critical mass, with the improvements (audio circuitry, input
voltage circuitry) introduced in V4.0, the reliability of the new unit should
be at least on a par with its predecessor.
One
important feature is the onward connectivity to the OTMR (the on-train data
recorder) and to the train’s PA system to allow direct communication to
passengers from the control room should any emergency occur.
The Deployment Programme
GSM-R interface in a Class 43 cab.
Siemens will
supply a float of radios direct to Network Rail, which, in turn, will supply
the radios to the train and freight operating companies (TOCs and FOCs) that
will undertake the actual replacement at their maintenance depots. Mainstream
deployment is expected to begin in October 2019 at the rate of 100 per week,
taking until the end of 2021 to complete. After briefing the fitters, the
change out time is around 60 minutes per cab. Programming the radio with the
fleet number of the locomotive/multiple unit will be the responsibility of the
depot, as of now.
The yellow
fleet of on-track machines must not be forgotten as they also carry GSM-R
radios and change out is likely to happen at the plant machine depots.
Replaced
radios will be returned to Siemens which will then modify them to the V4
specification ready for re-supply to Network Rail. The areas where the worst
interference is known to occur will be prioritised, primarily London and the
South East, then Manchester.
The TOCs are
supportive as the project will overcome the nuisance of the interference and
will come at no expense to them. One or two TOCs have other more pressing
matters on their mind and cross industry collaboration will be required.
Whilst this article concentrates on the cab mobile equipment, minimising the risk of interference may also require changes to the radio infrastructure. Smaller cells and altered power levels are likely to be pursued in the most vulnerable areas, but these could well be carried out as part of the GSM-R network enhancement for ETCS provision (see the article on Thameslink telecommunications elsewhere in this issue).
GSM-R Transportable.
Other Opportunities
The Siemens
cab radio has considerable processing capacity, far more than is needed for
voice communication or transmission of ETCS data. So why not use this
intelligence for other purposes?
Equipping
the radio to receive GPS signals or, more succinctly, GNSS (Global Navigation
Satellite System) that includes gyros and accelerometers to measure train
movement and distance travelled, is one such addition. One additional new
processor card is incorporated into the radio plus additional aerial sockets
for GPS and LTE antennae on the cab roof. This latter will be a combined unit
with the GSM-R aerial, thus achieving a like-for-like footprint to facilitate
ready fitment.
Although all
the V4 radios will be so equipped, funding for the GPS connection is only
currently authorised for 200 units, which, at £6,000 per cab, will need a
sizeable investment package if all fleets are to be equipped.
The ongoing projects that could benefit from such fitment are:
Degraded Mode Working System (DMWS) aka COMPASS.
The system to get trains moving much more quickly if a signalling failure
occurs was described in issue 162 (April 2018) but, for it to be successful, a
train’s position must be verified independent of the signalling system. GNSS
information on the train radio can achieve this.
Track Remote Condition Monitoring. Whilst the
Network Rail fleet of measurement trains (the New Measurement Train ‘Flying
Banana’ and others) do an excellent job of monitoring the state of the
infrastructure, track and overhead wires, logistics dictate that every track in
a route can only be measured every few weeks. If a number of service trains can
be equipped with basic monitoring equipment, then any emerging problem can be
noticed more quickly. It is intended to equip the first 200 trains mentioned
above with this facility, using the gyros and accelerometers of the GNSS to
record the train position, as well as any unusual ride characteristics, that
can then be reported in real time. Looking for track defects and rolling stock
suspension problems is the basic objective.
Phone Books. Train drivers invariably need help
if a problem arises during a journey. Problems with the signalling system may
need reporting to a Network Rail control centre and problems with the train
could need the help of a fleet engineer. Knowing which number to call can be a
challenge but having a phone directory immediately available and kept up to
date by software downloads would be a real asset. It is the intention that the
V4 radio holds such information.
DAS (Driver
Advisory System). These systems are slowly being adopted by both passenger and
freight train companies, although the need to accommodate a separate unit in
the driver’s cab and the cost of retrofitting is a disincentive. Siemens has
demonstrated that the advice to drivers can be accommodated on the cab radio
screen and a limited trial took place between London and Norwich back in 2016
with good results and, apparently, judged favourably by the drivers (issue 137,
March 2016). DAS, both in standalone and connected (C-DAS) form, can yield
impressive fuel savings as well as optimising time keeping, so having it
available almost for free must surely be of interest to the TOCs.
This cab
radio upgrade project has come about through necessity and will proceed in the
quickest possible timescale. The opportunities for using the GSM-R network for
much more than a voice communication facility and a bearer for ETCS are there
to be seized. Will the industry, both Network Rail and operators, recognise these
opportunities and come up with the finance to make them happen?
Watch this
space.
Thanks to Steve Leigh, the Network Rail programme manager for cab radio, for explaining the technicalities and logistics of the project.
Humaware, the Southampton-based company that develops and
markets a range of data-driven predictive analytics tools to enhance the
predict and prevent capability of the railway network, has been acquired by EKE-Electronics
of Espoo, Finland.
A division of the EKE Group, a privately held Finnish company with diversified international operations, EKE-Electronics is a leading global supplier of intelligent train automation and management systems. The company has been active in the rail industry for more than 30 years, developing applications and onboard electronics for train automation and condition monitoring.
[L-R, top] Karl Lönngren (director, digital services, EKE-Electronics), Marko Mäkinen (CEO, EKE-Electronics), Antti Tikkanen (CFO, EKE Group). [Below] Kenneth Pipe (Managing Director, Humaware) and Riitta Ekengren (CEO, EKE Group).
This acquisition means that EKE-Electronics will be able to
provide a complete solution for rolling stock remote condition monitoring and
predictive maintenance. The company’s range of services will now extend to the
analysis of signals and sensor data collected from trains by means of the
extremely accurate and reliable predictive analytics algorithms developed by
Humaware.
Unforeseen failures in rail traffic result in additional
maintenance costs, delays and reduced passenger satisfaction. Humaware’s
advanced data-driven algorithms and anomaly detection techniques provide an
improved approach to obtain remote condition monitoring benefits. Fixed
thresholds are replaced with an adaptive threshold to detect changes in remote
condition monitoring data earlier than fixed threshold methods.
This earlier detection provides the opportunity to switch
from costly schedule-based maintenance to a dynamic maintenance programme based
on the actual condition of the trains. The pooling of expertise from
EKE-Electronics and Humaware will provide a predictive maintenance capability
that will improve reliability, cost-efficiency and passenger comfort.
Intelligent maintenance solutions are currently in great
demand in the railway industry because of the substantial benefits they offer.
Karl Lönngren, who is responsible for EKE-Electronics’
condition monitoring business, said: “With Humaware’s unique software, we’re
able to offer a comprehensive solution for data collection and analytics, as
well as for planning a dynamic maintenance programme that is of interest to
rail operators all over the world.”
National Apprenticeship Week 2019 took place 4 to 8 March
2019. Coordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service, an offshoot of the
Department for Education, It is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the
positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
This year’s theme was ‘Blaze a Trail’, highlighting the
benefits of apprenticeships to employers, individuals, local communities and
the economy. A range of activities and events took place across the country,
seeking to change the perceptions that people have on what an apprenticeship is
and to encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to take up an
apprenticeship.
The rail industry was thoroughly involved. Network Rail, as the largest employer, promoted its apprenticeship scheme and the benefits that participants can enjoy.
Richard Turner, head of apprenticeship delivery for Network Rail, at the Westwood training facility.
Richard Turner, as head of apprenticeship delivery, is
responsible for overseeing Network Rail’s entire range of apprenticeship and
graduate programmes, including its award-winning rail engineering technician
apprenticeship scheme.
“Network Rail has a long history of running great
apprenticeship and graduate programmes, and our early careers offering is only
going to increase over the next few years,” he said. “We need to be recruiting
and training apprentices today so that they’re ready to maintain and operate
tomorrow’s railway.
“Apprenticeships also offer an opportunity for existing
railway employees to re-skill or up-skill as new technologies enter the
workplace. Simply put, our apprenticeships programme safeguards the future of
railway infrastructure, operations, and workforce.”
Good examples
Snowy Worrad, a Network Rail apprentice based at Port Talbot, South Wales.
Snowy Worrad is an apprentice for Network Rail Wales and Borders, based in Port Talbot. She explained why she had decided to take up an apprenticeship: “I applied for the scheme because I wanted to study engineering but I didn’t want to stop working to be able to do so.
“Joining the company as an apprentice has given me a boost that wouldn’t be possible otherwise, and there have been lots of opportunities for me to see more of the company, get involved in new ideas and to meet people from different roles. I’ve completed placements with a wide variety of teams and I know that once I completed the apprenticeship, I will have gained all the skills and knowledge I need to further my career in engineering.”
Elinor Harris – a third-year apprentice from Gorleston in Norfolk. (Network Rail)
Elinor Harris, 32 and from Gorleston in Norfolk, is almost
at the end of her three-year apprenticeship. She joined Network Rail with an
interest in engineering but no knowledge of how the railway worked. Three years
on, she’s learned about switches and crossings, trackside maintenance and
signals, and has also had the chance to analyse data that helps with the
day-to-day running of the railway.
“At Network Rail, you get so many opportunities to develop,
and the chance to study for qualifications,” she said. It gives you a great
head start to further your career.
“The experience so far been really rewarding and I have
learnt so much. I am almost coming to an end of my apprenticeship and it has
been an incredible experience and I have no regrets. I would certainly
recommend the apprenticeship scheme to anyone.”
Looking back while looking forward
One interesting approach to National Apprenticeship Week was that of Anna Delvecchio, commercial account director at Amey. A former apprentice herself, she now works closely with industry and government and was part of the team that formulated the new Rail Sector Deal.
Anna Delvecchio – apprentice and commercial account director.
Winner of a number of awards for her activities in promoting
the rail industry, including Woman of the Year at the FTA Everywoman in
Transport and Logistics Awards, she decided to go back to being an apprentice
for the week, while giving a group of apprentices the opportunity to shadow
her.
A group of Amey apprentices, working across both transport
and rail, shadowed Anna in her job, and at the same time, talked of their
experiences and what it means to be an apprentice in a major company today.
“It was brilliant, and I enjoyed every minute of reverse shadowing and the apprentices understanding my role,” Anna enthused. “It was incredible to see so much talent in so many apprentices in a short space of time.
“Let’s start with Jay Millard. He is an apprentice tree
surgeon. He taught me so much about trees in just four hours. He is brilliant. He doesn’t want a career in
the office and loves working outdoors. It was freezing cold, pouring down with
rain and there he was enjoying his job – looking after trees in the rain with a
smile!”
Another former apprentice on Anna’s ‘team’ was Holly Welch,
who completed her apprenticeship in engineering and now works on highways
design. Anna described her as “an inspirational role model for STEM and
engineering roles”, adding: “She is a great example of someone we should use to
inspire young girls to think about a career in engineering.”
Lamar Gardiner also works on highways design, and he
explained to Anna the details of his role – completing drawings, surveys and
going on site.
Danny Mahmood is relatively new to the programme, only starting
his apprenticeship six months ago, training in overhead line equipment (OLE).
He is currently placed with the design team, and Anna spent the afternoon
shadowing him, seeing what he does on a typical day.
Deivydas Andriuškevičius is a street lighting apprentice. “I’ve
known him the longest,” Anna commented. “Deivydas is an absolute advocate for
apprenticeship programmes, just like me.”
Reactions
(L-R) Lamar Gardiner, Holly Welch, Jay Millard, Danny Mahmood, Andy McDonald MP, Deivydas Andriuškevičius, Anna Delvecchio
The apprentices that Anna worked with were appreciative of
the opportunity.
“I was very interested to meet shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald,” said Lamar. “He was clearly very busy but seemed very calm and it was interesting to hear about his work. We also met Robin from BEIS who had started off as a history teacher. He was keen to hear about our backgrounds as well. A really interesting day.”
Danny was fascinated by being able to see, in a small way,
the connection between the operational work he is engaged with every day and
the bigger policy decisions that can influence this. “We saw different
government departments and got to see how their policies can affect our
everyday work. We heard how they are hoping to recruit an additional 20,000
apprentices”.
Holly agreed that she had gained a sense of perspective on
the work of the industrial strategy. “That was interesting – to hear first-hand
about the sector deals and how these are linked to skills and productivity.”
“It was an exciting opportunity to meet the government
departments and Andy McDonald,” Deivydas agreed. “I’m so inspired.”
So what comes next in this interesting initiative?
“I will be helping Amey champion our apprenticeship
programme with our apprentices as well as continuing to support the good work
of both Women in Transport and Women in Rail,” said Anna. “I will also be
helping CILT (the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport) with their
Big Logistics and Transport Diversity Challenge and I have a little project
that I have been working on with a few which is progressing very nicely. Watch
this space!”
The
Thameslink north-south rail link across London is nearing fulfilment. Despite
the timetable problems back in May 2018, the enhanced capacity on the route is
already easing the daily commutes for thousands of people. When it reaches its
full potential of 24 trains per hour (tph) in each direction through the
central London core, an even bigger demand is to be expected.
The overall
programme, covering five route areas, will have cost £4.6 billion, including
the provision of 55 new 12-car and 60 eight-car trains, running through 10
signalling centre areas of control on track used by 11 train operating
companies (TOCs).
Much of the
project’s glamour has focussed on the new stations (London Bridge and
Blackfriars in particular), its civil engineering, especially the Bermondsey
flyover, and the new ETCS with ATO (European Train Control system with
Automatic Train Operation) train control system. There has been very little
mention of the telecommunications network, without which none of the above
could have happened. Yet all the telecoms requirements have needed a massive
design and implementation project that has equalled the other disciplines in
the need for creative thinking and new ways of providing service.
To understand what has been involved, the London & SE section of the IRSE hosted an evening meeting in January whereby Network Rail could demonstrate just how complex and wide ranging have been the telecom elements. Rail Engineer went along to learn more.
Upgrading GSM-R
Whilst the
Thameslink routes both north and south of the Thames and through the central
core had been equipped with GSM-R, this was primarily associated with driver to
signaller voice communication. As such, the capacity, coverage and resilience
of the radio network was less than would be required if used as a bearer for
ETCS. An upgrade has therefore been necessary – the responsibility of the
telecoms function within Network Rail for the control and infrastructure
equipment but also involving the TOCs for the ETCS train-borne mobile equipment.
The ETCS/ATO
area extends from Kentish Town and Canal Tunnel junction in the north to
Elephant & Castle and beyond London Bridge in the south. To improve the
robustness of the system, most of the previous radio cells have been split with
15 new Kapsch 9000-series base stations being purchased to replace the existing
nine Kapsch 8000-series units.
All base
stations now have a double landline connection, the majority using diversely
routed fibres plus a 12-hour standby power supply at each site. Much of the
central core section is equipped with radiating cable and 16 radio cable
repeaters are needed to keep the signal strength at the required level.
GSM-R radio
performance has to take account of the channel availability within the 4MHz
uplink and downlink allocation. This leads to two constraints.
Firstly, in
congested areas like London where multiple rail routes are in close proximity,
channel allocations, base station locations and aerial alignments have to be
carefully planned to eliminate, as far as possible, the risk of co-channel
interference.
Secondly,
whilst having a circuit switched connection (an individual train seizes and
holds an available timeslot for the duration of use) is just about ok for
occasional voice traffic, the data requirements for ETCS operation mean that a
continuous connection is required. With circuit switching, there is simply not
enough capacity within GSM-R.
Fortunately,
development and proving work in the UK and Europe has determined that packet
switching is an acceptable alternative for the future. Even if the occasional
packet is lost, the data transfer is sufficiently guaranteed for reliable ETCS
information updates as well as enabling a considerable increase in capacity.
The upgraded GSM-R network has been extensively tested, both for coverage and resilience. Additional hardware duplication has been provided to minimise the chance of equipment failure that would result in ETCS data being unavailable. An additional feature with the new Kapsch base stations is a Voltage Standing Wave Ratio alarm, which monitors the radio signals such that any deviation from the norm is detected before a fault actually occurs. The overall monitoring of this, and indeed the nationwide GSM-R network, is undertaken by Network Rail Telecoms (NRT) from its Network Management Centres.
King’s Cross fire of 1987.
Emergency Services radio
The King’s Cross fire in 1987 (above) brought home the need for the emergency services to communicate together effectively in all locations, including underground railways. Since Thameslink in largely underground in the central core, provision has had to be made to enable radio systems covering police, fire and ambulance services to communicate in any emergency circumstances.
Using Tetra
technology in the UHF band, all police forces (including British Transport
Police – BTP) and the ambulance service have now converted to Airwave, which is
the same technology that London Underground uses for its track-to-train
communication. Providing Airwave coverage on LU is therefore relatively straightforward.
Adjacent LU and Thameslink locations get coverage by default, but, elsewhere on
Thameslink, it has been necessary to feed Airwave signals down the same GSM-R
radiating cables, but with different types of repeaters.
The fire
service has continued to use a different system – Fire Ground – which again has
its signals injected into the same radiating cable. The Fire Ground system had
already been provided in the St Pancras area as part of the HS1 communication
requirements, so this system was extended into Thameslink to prevent
inter-channel interference. The erstwhile York Way tunnel at King’s Cross has
been retained as an access point for the emergency services.
Traffic Management
The crucial
need for a traffic management system (TMS) to regulate the Thameslink train
service through the central core when 24tph eventually happens was described in
issue 160 (February 2018). Using the Hitachi Tranista system, this will look at
real-time train movements from as far away as Luton and Hitchin in the north and
Sevenoaks and Three Bridges in the south, and to then constantly calculate the
optimum pathing of trains should any of them be running late and not arriving
at the central core in the timetabled order.
Getting TMS
to be effective is a complex challenge and demands crucial telecom and data
links as part of the design.
Such is the
foreseen dependence on TMS that two parallel systems have been procured (A and
B) to provide the necessary resilience. Capturing the constant stream of data
from all the outlying locations has meant the provision of two independent
Ethernet rings of 250Mbit capacity to deliver the train running information.
The FTNx fixed telecommunications network provided by NRT (Network Rail
Telecoms) as a nationwide IP (Internet Protocol) data service has been employed
for this task. This means that all TMS data is IP-based, which was a logical
way forward in any case.
As traffic
management systems spread to other areas of the country, so the Thameslink TMS
system will link into these and thus potentially provide train running
information from even further afield. Whilst the output from TMS is an advisory
tool to the signallers, who will be able to change the routing plan if they
think it advisable, eventually TMS will link into the ARS (Automatic Route
Setting) facility within the rail operating centres (ROCs) and thus set train
paths automatically. The signallers are to be provided with web-based Train
Graphs at their workstations so that they can see the overall train service
performance at a glance.
The Signalling Bearer Network
Antennas at Elephant & Castle.
Not only is
a comprehensive telecom and data network required for TMS, but the very extent
of the Three Bridges ROC operation means that similar connectivity would be
required for controlling all the outlying signalling equipment. Traditionally,
this would have been done by low-speed data links provided as part of the
signalling design, but the cost of such a provision would be considerable and
questions were asked as to whether a more cost-effective solution could be devised.
The
resulting specification called for a comprehensive fibre and data
communications network (DCN) and, with the FTN network already in place, using
this was an obvious choice. However, just taking the available bandwidth
without any provision for local control gave a measure of unease and thus a
compromise was needed.
A joint development between Siemens, Network Rail and NRT came up with a solution that effectively delivers a virtual private network within the FTN backbone. Three pre-assessments were identified:
Diversity needed for all required service
functions to each relay room;
The level of availability and path length from
the FTN to each relay room to be scored;
A comparison of options to be made with
identification of any diversity shortfalls.
The
resultant network has moved the Network Terminating Point (NTP) from the FTN
router to the signalling equipment rooms, with an independent network control
centre established at Three Bridges working in conjunction with NRT. The DCN
has been renamed TSPN (Thameslink Signalling Private Network – known
colloquially as Teaspoon) and gives four independent paths from the main
signalling equipment rooms back to Three Bridges ROC.
Every
signalling trackside module has an IP address layered to SIL4 (safety integrity
level 4) standards. Close co-operation has been needed with the NRT control
centre staff and this involved considerable training to ensure familiarity with
the critical network requirements. 140 routers are employed to start with, and
more will be added once the Hither Green area is converted.
Since start-up four years ago, only two faults have been recorded, one a power supply problem, the other a router failure, neither being service affecting.
Station Information and Security (SISS)
All stations
in the central core need to give out comprehensive information to the passenger
plus sophisticated monitoring of security. Included within this are customer
information screens (CIS), public address and CCTV.
During the
early stage of the project, the displaced CCTV recording equipment from King’s
Cross was relocated to London Bridge, so that output from the existing 400
analogue CCTV cameras could still be recorded. These cameras were connected to
the new information network by the use of analogue-to-digital converters, prior
to them being replaced during the rebuilding.
At London Bridge, new equipment has been provided throughout, based upon an IP station data network consisting of two-core switches forming two VLANs in ring formation. Connected to this are 700 new high-definition Bosch cameras, with recording equipment to match, plus a video wall in the control room. The cameras are also viewable from Three Bridges ROC and the BTP control room at Victoria.
Departure infomation at London Bridge
A total of
310 CIS train departure screens using Infotec LED displays are provided across
all platforms. New PA amplifiers link into the system but include a hard-wired
voice alarm facility to ensure availability in any emergency situation.
Achieving
the 24tph throughput in the central core requires critical control of station
dwell times. These are timetabled at 60 seconds, allowing 42 seconds for
passengers to alight and board. Automatic door opening is employed but CIS
information is crucial to conditioning passenger behaviour.
Train
summary displays are provided showing the time until the next train and the six
subsequent trains. These use TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology, with past
concerns over display life having largely been overcome. Alternate units go
into ‘sleep mode’ at night to prolong life.
Still to be
commissioned is an overall integration and monitoring system for all the
Thameslink central stations. A contract is in place with Telent for the
provision of its MICA (Management, Integration and Control of Assets) product,
with the hardware already installed at Three Bridges. Used previously at
Clapham Junction and London Bridge, the system will give visibility of all
telecom facilities at every station.
In addition
to CCTV, PA and CIS, the system will monitor lighting, lift and escalator
alarms, station radio, security and fire alarms, and will also monitor dwell
times and passenger congestion, with an alarm being generated if limits are
exceeded. The benefit of MICA is that different manufacturers’ products can be
monitored, regardless of type and age, thus avoiding the replacement of assets
that still have useful life.
In this
modern age it is a commonly held view that telecoms will just be there, akin to
water in the pipe and electricity at the socket. If nothing else, this account
shows just how complex the provision of telecom facilities is on a route such
as Thameslink.
Thanks to Tom Chaffin and Stephen Brown of Network Rail for delivering such an elucidating explanation.
Swindon panel, seen here in 2014, is now
preserved at Didcot Railway Centre.
The advancement of signalling has been driven by the need to control train movements in the most efficient manner whilst optimising the capacity of a given layout configuration. Progress has been achieved as a result of technological developments, new legislative requirements, and the all-important lessons learned from accidents and incidents. This article introduces a major new book that charts the evolution of signalling, and also indicates some additional sources of technical information about signalling for those wanting to learn more.
Signalling in action
Network Rail has about 40,000 signals across the whole network, controlled by a variety of mechanical, electrical and computer systems, mostly behind the scenes. The signalling system in live action may be observed on Open Train Times (www.opentraintimes.com) and other similar websites that provide a much-simplified version of the workstation or control panel that the signaller is operating to control train movements.
Watching complex areas such as Liverpool Street and London
Bridge during the peaks, it is difficult for the general user to appreciate the
vast amount of complex technical kit that provides for the safe separation of
trains and intense working at busy junctions and in station areas. Robust
safeguards are built into the interlocking to prevent signaller error
compromising safety.
The driver hasn’t been forgotten
Integral to the signalling system, driver aids such as the
Automatic Warning System (AWS), and Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) play
their part to ensure driver compliance with signal aspects.
Automatic Train Protection (ATP) systems overcome weaknesses
in the AWS/TPWS combination by continuously monitoring train speed and
automatically implementing corrective action should a driver fail to comply
with signal aspects or speed limits.
Free standing ATP ‘trial’ systems are in operation on the Great Western main line and the Chiltern line. However, ATP is a component of the European Train Control System (ETCS) that Network Rail is gradually implementing. These vitally important safety systems have been introduced in response to lessons learned from train accidents.
20-lever frame at Acle
signal box, Norfolk.
Not so modern
In the modern age of personal computing, consisting of
devices that are ‘upgraded’ every few years, newcomers to the industry may be
surprised that train movements in some areas of the country, including the busy
West Coast main line in the Stockport area, are still controlled by
nineteenth-century technology, with signallers pulling levers. Elsewhere,
mid-twentieth-century control panels are still in service, with signallers
pressing buttons to set routes. Computer control is being increasingly
implemented since the first digital Solid State Interlocking (SSI) was
commissioned at Leamington Spa in 1985, but conversion of the whole network is
a long-term project.
So how has it come about that we have such a diverse range
of technology in use today?
Funding constraints and longevity
Many a proposed scheme has had to be de-scoped when money
has run out. For example, mechanical lever frame signal boxes continue in
service at Clacton and Stockport, interfacing with adjacent modern signalling
centres. Even in the 1960s, new power box schemes were opened controlling a
reduced route mileage compared with what was originally planned.
Towards Stoke-on-Trent via Uttoxeter was excluded from Derby
Power Box, as was the Northampton loop from Rugby box, although the latter was
incorporated some years later. A mid-1980s resignalling of Shrewsbury was
shelved leaving the lofty 1903 LNW tumbler frames at Severn Bridge Junction
(180 levers) and Crewe Junction (120 levers) still in service today!
Despite predictions to the contrary, the skills of the mechanical locking fitter are still with us today, and points and signals operated by metal wires and rods are more durable than those controlled by electrical wiring, the insulation of which may degrade over time.
Workstation at Saxmundham, Suffolk.
Staff professionalism
Signalling must be designed, installed, tested, commissioned
and maintained by staff working to high professional standards in compliance
with a series of specialist internal company standards issued by Network Rail.
Staff competence is also vitally important and signal engineers are required to
hold an Institution of Railway Signal Engineers licence for the category of
work that they undertake.
The various factors described above contribute to the overall cost of signalling. It has always been challenging for the industry to justify that the capital cost of signalling improvement schemes will achieve payback in some way such as staff and maintenance savings, or improvements to capacity.
The way in which various factors, including those described
above, have played a part in the continuous improvement of signalling since the
early part of the nineteenth century are described in a new book – A Chronology
of UK Railway Signalling, 2nd edition.
This monumental hardback tome of nearly 500 pages from Peter
Woodbridge and his contributors provides a fascinating insight into the
evolution and innovation of signalling from the invention of the Leyden Jar
(capacitor) in 1746 to the fibre-optic axle counter sensor of 2017. This
chronological synopsis of significant events in the development of railway
signalling covers all UK railways but concentrates on ‘mainline’.
The one-line event index, split into categories such as
accidents, block working, companies, land legislation, is listed in
chronological order, acting as an at-a-glance evolution summary and directing
readers to the appropriate year in the main body of the chronology. Here, the
aim is to present the overall story of the evolution of all the elements that
comprise railway signalling and give the general ‘big picture’ of how, through
innovation, accidents, legislation and pure chance, we have today’s signalling.
The story starts with the Stockton & Darlington Railway
of 1825 and an early attempt at providing signalling comprising braziers (fire
baskets) into which burning coals could be hoisted as a stop signal. The
section concludes with fifteen entries for 2018 including accidents at an AHBC
(automatic half-barrier crossing) and a UWC (user-worked crossing) and, more
positively, the first Automatic Full Barrier Crossing Locally monitored
(AFBCL).
Two short sections describe the development of the former
Western Region’s E10k relay interlockings, and Geographical relay interlockings
used elsewhere, many examples of which are still in service including the 1960
Plymouth Panel Box, and 1966 Birmingham New Street station area Westpac MkI
interlocking.
The final section contains an extensive thought-provoking
summary of significant accidents spanning 162 years involving signalling
design, operation, maintenance and modification. The lessons learned have
shaped today’s signalling system, which plays a vital role in the safe and
efficient working of trains. However, the recent collision at Waterloo is a
wake-up call that the causal factors identified in past accident investigations
must not fade from the industry’s collective memory.
The book concludes with a selection of colour photographs
illustrating Peter’s signal engineering life.
Technical terms are clearly explained making it an easy read
suitable for a wide audience. At £30 plus postage it is NOT currently available
from online retailers. Proceeds go to Swindon Panel Society, which has
preserved the Swindon Entrance Exit (NX) panel at Didcot Railway Centre with
train movements, control and indication of outdoor functions such as points and
signals simulated by computers.
If you wish to purchase a copy please contact Peter Woodbridge, either through the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers, 4th Floor, 1 Birdcage Walk, London SW1H 9JJ – 020 7808 1180, or by emailing the author – [email protected]
And there’s more…
For those interested in learning more about signalling,
there are various resources available:
British Power Signalling Register
This free online resource, fully updated in January 2019, is produced by Andrew Overton and hosted on the website of the Signalling Record Society (www.s-r-s.org.uk/archivebpsr.php). The documents are aimed at signal engineers but will be of interest to anyone wanting to know more about power signalling.
The first component is a PDF document providing a comprehensive
introduction, glossary and detailed explanations of interfaces, power frames
and interlockings, concluding with a colour pictorial guide to interface and
interlocking designs. The register itself is an Excel spreadsheet with three
tabs ‘Interfaces’ (signal box or workstation), ‘Interlockings’ and ‘Power
Frames’, the compilation of which evidently involved extensive research since
coverage includes all power signalling equipment commissioned in Britain from
1883 to date excluding London Underground and metro networks.
For the technically minded
For those with a thirst to learn more about the technical aspects of signalling, the following text books are available from the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (www.irse.org):
Railway Signalling – Although published in 1981, it is still relevant today with descriptions of the principles of signalling layout, interlocking and controls. Relays, points, track circuits, remote control and train describers are covered.
Railway Control Systems – This sequel from 1991 includes Solid State Interlocking (SSI), Single line working, level crossings, operator interface and Automatic Train Protection.
Railway Signalling and Control – This further sequel brings the story up to 2014 and includes the various computer based interlockings, axle counters, point operating mechanisms and stretcher bars, AWS, TPWS, Tilt Authorisation and Speed System (TASS), ETCS, HS1 signalling, and signal sighting.
Rail Engineer
Of course, you can just continue to read your favourite railway engineering magazine Rail Engineer. Almost every issue contains at least one article on railway signalling, its technology and concepts, and these are reproduced online on this site.
