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Managing obsolescence of electronic equipment in signalling |
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Written by Ian Mitchell
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Friday, 27 May 2011 14:13 |
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Managing obsolescence of electronic equipment in signalling
Introduction The 1980s saw big steps in signalling technology as relay based systems began to be superseded by microprocessor based equipment. These interlockings and control centres are now more than 20 years old and the hardware and software components that they use have been rendered obsolete by rapid advances of computing and communications technology. This in itself is not a problem for the railway, as the systems are generally reliable and continue to deliver their operational and safety requirements, but it becomes an issue when there is a need to replace failed components or make changes to respond to new traffic demands. The problem is not unique to this particular generation of equipment: it also applies to older systems using analogue electronics and newer software based systems. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 27 May 2011 14:16 |
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How to create the next generation of signal engineers |
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Written by Markus Montigel
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Friday, 27 May 2011 13:48 |
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How to create the next generation of Senior Signal Engineers Introduction It is generally perceived that there is a shortage of candidates to fill the future roles of Senior and Chief Signal Engineers. In particular, the age group between 40 to 50 years appears to be affected by this condition. This situation is deemed extremely critical: not acting could render this situation uncontrollable, thereby endangering the overall safety of railway systems in the future. This article aims to explain how this came to pass, and to develop elements of an active strategy for the creation of the next generation of Senior Signal Engineers. The IRSE is urged to take an active role in developing such a strategy and acting upon it. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 27 May 2011 13:52 |
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Semi-automatic, driverless, and unattended operation of trains |
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Written by IRSE-ITC
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Thursday, 17 June 2010 20:04 |
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The mission of any metro transportation undertaking is to provide safe, reliable, efficient, high quality service to its passengers in a cost effective fashion. To meet this business need, our metro systems are increasingly being automated. Any new metro system constructed today would almost certainly incorporate some level of automation with many modern metro systems now providing driverless or unattended train operation. In addition, higher levels of automation are also being introduced into the older metro systems around the world in response to demands for increased capacity on the existing infrastructure, enhanced levels of safety, improved customer service, and reduced operating costs. This article examines the benefits of automation, the various levels of automation that can be deployed, the maturity of the technology, and the challenges of selecting the appropriate level of automation for a specific application. The article focuses on automation of metro systems. Automation of our intercity main lines, high speed railways, and freight lines will be addressed in a separate article. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 17 June 2010 20:05 |
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Train Integrity is the Responsibility of the Railway Undertaking |
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Friday, 18 June 2010 08:47 |
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ERTMS/ETCS Level 3 remains to be fully specified but should offer railway infrastructure managers reduced cost and increased capacity. Despite this, existing projects in Europe and around the world are stuck at Level 1 and 2, so the International Technical Committee of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers has been studying the obstacles to implementing ERTMS/ETCS Level 3. This is one of a series of articles that aim to promote some radical debate on removing these obstacles. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 08 September 2010 17:39 |
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What can signalling do to enhance rail operations? |
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Written by Alan Rumsey
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Thursday, 21 January 2010 10:42 |
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Any rail transportation infrastructure, whether metros or mainline railways, represents a tremendous capital investment in terms of the right-of-way and stations, with significant on-going life-cycle costs to maintain the infrastructure in a state-of good repair. This investment is justified on the basis that the infrastructure provides the foundation for the movement of passengers and freight within the network covered by the infrastructure. The actual safe movement of passengers and freight on this infrastructure is however only possible through the implementation of signalling and train control systems. Indeed, it is the signalling/train control systems that enable the return on the infrastructure investment to be realized. While signalling/train control systems are the enabler of rail/transit operations, they can also impose a constraint on operations for example by constraining the achievable line capacity or by limiting the flexibility of train movements while, in addition, incurring substantial ongoing maintenance costs. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 21 January 2010 11:03 |
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