AUSTRALIA: Technology company 4Tel has commissioned digital movement authorities for the Australian Rail Track Corp on more than 1 500 km of its network across New South Wales, replacing a highly manual workflow. The routes covered are controlled by ARTC’s Train Management & Control System. Network Controllers in the control centres at Junee and Broadmeadow have been able since September 21 to use TMACS to issue a digital movement permission, or Electronic Authority. This is delivered as an encrypted electronic data message to the screen of the secure radio fitted in the cab of a locomotive. Prior to implementing EAs, a movement authority was issued by a Network Controller via a voice call to the train driver. According to 4Tel, the movement authority was read out to the driver, who would write it on a form and read it back to confirm the details required for voice-based Train Order Working. ‘Digital movement authorities substantially increase network efficiency by simplifying the communication of daily activities, which helps to improve operational bottlenecks’, explains Tony Crosby, Chief Executive Officer of 4Tel. ‘Systems interoperability has been achieved via software without the need to fit any new equipment to the locomotive fleet.’ TMACS EAs improve driver situational awareness by presenting a Proximity Warning on the cab radio screen when the train is approaching its authority limit, and an Out of Authority Alarm if the train exceeds this limit. These warnings and alarms are automatically generated and presented on the screen with no action required by control centre staff. The details are automatically recorded to support operational review. TMACS can also be integrated ARTC’s eTAP engineering possession application, also developed by 4Tel. Worksite safety staff use eTAP to obtain and manage track access instead of recording authority details on a paper form. The company says that a combination of EAs and eTAP significantly reduces the voice communications workload for routine tasks, and the ‘telephone queue’ from the field back to a control board, allowing control centre staff more time for non-routine operational jobs. ‘Electronic Authorities are a practical example of how we can make rail safer, simpler and more efficient for our customers’, says Geoff Wickens, ARTC’s Acting Group Executive for Safety & Systems. ‘Freight trains travel thousands of kilometres across different networks and operating environments. Every time we can remove unnecessary complexity and make those systems work better together, we make it easier to move by rail.’ Implementation of TMACS EAs is also in progress on two more ARTC lines, the east-west corridor from Tarcoola in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, and the Benalla – Oaklands line between Victoria and New South Wales.
AUSTRALIA: Technology company 4Tel has commissioned digital movement authorities for the Australian Rail Track Corp on more than 1 500 km of its network across New South Wales, replacing a highly manual workflow.
The routes covered are controlled by ARTC’s Train Management & Control System. Network Controllers in the control centres at Junee and Broadmeadow have been able since September 21 to use TMACS to issue a digital movement permission, or Electronic Authority. This is delivered as an encrypted electronic data message to the screen of the secure radio fitted in the cab of a locomotive.
Prior to implementing EAs, a movement authority was issued by a Network Controller via a voice call to the train driver. According to 4Tel, the movement authority was read out to the driver, who would write it on a form and read it back to confirm the details required for voice-based Train Order Working.
‘Digital movement authorities substantially increase network efficiency by simplifying the communication of daily activities, which helps to improve operational bottlenecks’, explains Tony Crosby, Chief Executive Officer of 4Tel. ‘Systems interoperability has been achieved via software without the need to fit any new equipment to the locomotive fleet.’
TMACS EAs improve driver situational awareness by presenting a Proximity Warning on the cab radio screen when the train is approaching its authority limit, and an Out of Authority Alarm if the train exceeds this limit. These warnings and alarms are automatically generated and presented on the screen with no action required by control centre staff. The details are automatically recorded to support operational review.
TMACS can also be integrated ARTC’s eTAP engineering possession application, also developed by 4Tel. Worksite safety staff use eTAP to obtain and manage track access instead of recording authority details on a paper form. The company says that a combination of EAs and eTAP significantly reduces the voice communications workload for routine tasks, and the ‘telephone queue’ from the field back to a control board, allowing control centre staff more time for non-routine operational jobs.
‘Electronic Authorities are a practical example of how we can make rail safer, simpler and more efficient for our customers’, says Geoff Wickens, ARTC’s Acting Group Executive for Safety & Systems. ‘Freight trains travel thousands of kilometres across different networks and operating environments. Every time we can remove unnecessary complexity and make those systems work better together, we make it easier to move by rail.’
Implementation of TMACS EAs is also in progress on two more ARTC lines, the east-west corridor from Tarcoola in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, and the Benalla – Oaklands line between Victoria and New South Wales.
Source: Railway Gazette
