John Towers, Layer 2 Intelligence - Light rail communications & signalling requirements:...

John Towers

Technical Manager

Layer 2 Intelligence Pty Ltd

• Sydney’s first Tram services were originally delivered in the mid 1800’s

• Propulsion evolved through the generations starting with horse drawn, steam and finally electric.

•Over a 100 year period, the service supported the Sydney economy, with every local averaging greater than one journey per day and the majority of CBD freight carried by the service.

•Cut-back, ‘light’ versions of signalling and Train

Control used on the NSWGR.

•Signal boxes used fixed block working & on single

lines staff & ticket working were used.

•Dedicated corridor

•Used for getting large numbers of people between key nodes.•Route options, traffic can move around incidents with the assistance of a ‘Controller.’•Often less frequent (certainly the case for Sydney Trains network)

•Mixed & pedestrian traffic (and hence, integrated ‘management’)•Frequent, fast, managed by headway•In Sydney, we have less variation in route options•Cheaper CAPEX, and as the standard gauge track is most common, maintenance equipment is readily available•Rollingstock is smaller, narrower hence lower axle weights•More reliance on the driver in route selection.

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Low headway times

Drive on sight

Flexible Vehicle configurations

Hi passenger counts, low dwell times

Few route options

Mixed traffic

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In 1997, a revamped Darling Harbour freight line was opened as the first light rail network in Sydney for over 40 years.

The line consisted of a mixed traffic portion between Central Station & Darling Drive, with dedicated corridor between Darling Drive and Wentworth Park.

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• Vehicle management consisted of fixed Block signalling along the dedicated corridor with vehicle management using Automatic Train Protection.

• Route requests by exception

• On shared road-rail corridor, Light Rail Vehicles were fitted with fixed transponders which allowed them higher priority at intersections, on arrival.

• Telecommunications services consisted of SCADA, CCTV, Long Line Public Address, Help Points and Passenger Information Displays carried over an Multi Mode Optical fibre backbone.

• Open channel, talk-through radio for LRV-to-ground communications

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Advantages:• Cheap

• Easy modification to existing intersection control

• Reliable – If the tag fails, the intersection will still phase in

favour of the LRV.

• No change to existing maintenance objects

Disadvantages:• No LRV pre-emption

• No ability to ‘track’ vehicles through the shared corridor

• Bus on rails

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In the year 2000, some unnamed, large international event, possibly, drove the extension of the Light Rail Corridor & Service from Wentworth Park to Lilyfield.

It could be hypothesised that this was seen as a way in which to connect the Western distributor arterial road to Central Sydney – but, who really knows.

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Nothing really changed…..

• Further fixed block signalling was installed. This was again

augmented with ATP

• Additional CCTV installed at platforms for situational

awareness

• More SCADA RTU’s installed

• Help Points & PA by Jacques

• Passenger Information Display’s

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In my opinion, the emphasis was on getting the railway built and

operational. Gaps were created, such as the Glebe Tunnel,

which would require remediation in the future.

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TETRA

P.25 phase II

GSM-R

802.11a/b/g/n

WiMAX

LTE

Apply SIL at critical junctions, turnouts, turnbacks, in dedicated corridor etc. This can be done either in

headend software or at trackside interlockings.

OR

Not

Again, Light Rail is light and in the majority of cases, line of sight. The driver should determine whether it

is safe to move their vehicle.

Customer Centric (Stops & Onboard):

• Passenger Information Displays

• Public Address (but only for safety and emergencysituations)

• Help Points

• Security (CCTV)

Control & Awareness:

• SCADA

• CCTV

The Australian Tourism & Transport Fund Transport Position paper, “The benefits of light rail.” March 2010

"Fact Book Glossary - Mode of Service Definitions". American Public Transportation Association. 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-12

“BOStrab German Fedral Regulations on the construction and operation of light rail transit systems.” May 2008.

“Tram-to-tram collision Yarra Trams Intersection Flemington Road and Abbotsford Street North Melbourne 03 September 2010 (Report No. 2010/08).” Office of the Chief Investigator Transport Safety.

“ETSI EN300 392-2 v3.2.1”

“Budget Paper No. 4, Infrastructure Statement 2014-15.” NSW Government

“State Significant Infrastructure Assessment: CBD & South East Light Rail, Sydney. Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Report.”Jun 2014.