CIR-ELKE

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CIR-ELKE (abbreviation Computer Integrated Railroading - increasing the performance in the core network ) was a strategy of the Deutsche Bundesbahn and Deutsche Reichsbahn in the 1990s to use a large number of plans and developments to achieve more efficient operations control based on new information and operations control technology enable.

In the more recent past, CIR-ELKE was equated with a software version of the line train control (LZB), whereby this only represented part of the CIR-ELKE strategy. After the "classic" design of the LZB (L 72) was discontinued by the manufacturer in 2012, all DB network lines operated under the influence of liner trains will be equipped with CIR-ELKE in the coming years (status: 2014). Beyond the pure software and hardware change, no adjustments are planned for the use of the extended CIR-ELKE functions. LZB CIR-ELKE will no longer be further developed and will be replaced by ETCS , which with Baseline 3 has similar technical properties and the same performance as CIR-ELKE. Locomotives on LZB routes in Germany must now be at least CIR-ELKE-I capable (as of 2019).

Goals and measures

With CIR-ELKE, the heavily traveled main railway lines (the core network) in particular can be put in a position to accommodate up to 20% more traffic. Together with an improved marketing concept, a further increase of 20% was expected, so that an increase in the performance of the core network by a total of 40% was expected. This is made possible, among other things, by the so-called high - performance block (HBL): closer train sequences, in some cases dispensing with fixed signals and optimizing traffic through better harmonization of speeds and coordination of braking and overtaking maneuvers.

Denser train sequences are achieved by the following measures:

  • With LZB, freight trains can travel faster and therefore have to be overtaken by fast trains less frequently. By harmonizing the speed level of passenger and freight trains, performance is increased. The train's speed can be increased to up to 120 km / h without making adjustments to the braking systems. (Even higher speeds would be possible with the long braking distances that can be transmitted via the LZB, but these fail due to the design of the vehicles).
  • Stationary vehicles receive telegrams at longer intervals, so that the main focus of the route control center is on the moving participants.
  • By shortening the train sequence sections (block sections that are “under braking distance”), greater train density is possible. In station areas, the block division can optionally be adapted to the driving dynamics of braking and accelerating trains. This particularly short block division is used in particular in exit areas, sometimes also in entry areas. The blanking of main signals, which was previously only possible for block and exit signals, has been extended to all signals. The high-performance blocks formed in this way , some less than 300 meters long (Munich S-Bahn: up to approx. 50 m), enable a block section to be subdivided into numerous sub-blocks, which can be occupied by LZB / CIR-ELKE-guided vehicles. CIR-ELKE technology with particularly dense block division enables a particularly dense train sequence of 30 trains per hour and direction on the main route of the Munich S-Bahn .
  • With CIR-ELKE, restrictive speeds can be commanded in such a way that they do not apply from the (entry) signal, but from the speed-determining element (e.g. switches ). For this purpose, the opaque signal is switched to dark to avoid signaling contradictions. Without CIR-ELKE, on the other hand, the speed restriction applies from the upstream, covering main signal .
  • Thanks to the continuous, seamless speed monitoring , slip paths can be shortened from previously up to 300 m to a uniform 50 m. In this way, greater entry speeds can be achieved with short slip paths and the inhibiting effects of long slip paths can be reduced.
  • Each telegram is transmitted twice and may only be evaluated if two conditions are met: Each telegram must have been received without errors and both telegrams must match bit by bit. This reduces the probability that incorrectly transmitted telegrams will be evaluated.

In addition to these optimized LZB functions, other CIR-ELKE modules should have a positive effect on the performance and quality of railway operations. Electronic interlockings were considered to be functionally superior to relay interlockings, especially in the event of malfunctions. With an optimized train routing concept , routes should be set automatically and optimally in terms of time during regular operation. Reporting and monitoring procedures for the infrastructure should be optimized and the dispatchers should be relieved of non-operational information. Last but not least, train monitoring should be improved. In the case of recognizable conflicts, optimized LZB reference variables should be transmitted and, in particular, adapted speeds should be transmitted early on before the point of conflict.

To implement the planned CIR-ELKE functions, adjustments to the vehicle and route software were primarily necessary. More powerful computers were required on the vehicle side, along with a higher programming language and a switch to 16-bit technology (hence LZB 80/16 ).

CIR-ELKE is based on the technology of the existing LZB system from DB AG, the physical interface and the telegram structure have been adopted. Due to the functional similarity of LZB to ETCS Level 2 , after the introduction of ETCS, CIR-ELKE is sometimes also used in a network ("double equipment").

history

The first considerations for such a system at the Deutsche Bundesbahn date back to 1991 and resulted in a development concept in 1993.

In the light of German reunification , the opening to the east and the expansion of the European internal market in 1993, the Deutsche Bundesbahn looked at the beginning of the 1990s for ways to improve the capacity and operational quality of the existing network in the short and medium term, before long-term on the most important corridors New lines should be available. In 1992 it was planned to introduce CIR-ELKE on 4500 km of the German core network. The first partial commissioning of the Karlsruhe – Basel pilot line was expected for the end of 1994. According to the state of planning in 1992, three levels of urgency were planned. Some of the lines were to be re-equipped with line control, while the line control for the high-performance block should be expanded on another part. The first priority lines should be equipped by 1998. The line train control of the new lines Hanover – Würzburg and Mannheim – Stuttgart should not be changed. For the CIR-ELKE equipment of the routes of the first urgency level alone, 43 percent of 306 signal boxes (with an average age of 39 years) would have to be converted and 57 percent completely replaced (as of 1992).

In the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1992 , the package of measures CIR / ELKE, 1st and 2nd stage with an estimated investment of 2.170 billion DM was included in the urgent need . A third stage was added to the additional requirements at a cost of DM 2.060 billion . All CIR-ELKE routes were subjected to a performance calculation as part of the operational pre-planning and compared with the necessary investments in the infrastructure (e.g. signal boxes, blocks, line train control). Five planned cases that build on one another were evaluated (retention of the current state, additional block signals without LZB, LZB with additional LZB block indicators, subdivision of the entry routes, subdivision of the exit routes). Depending on the equipment available, costs of one to two million DM per kilometer were calculated (excluding vehicle costs). The results of the investigations (with Strele ) for different routes showed a wide spread, strong fluctuations within a route and direction of travel. Typically the values ​​were between 10 and 40 percent. Subsequent analyzes showed that these results could be explained with the various equipment available today.

Preliminary investigations for the high-performance block at the beginning of the 1990s indicated that performance increases of more than 20 percent compared to routes not yet equipped with LZB could be expected. Model investigations for routes in the core network showed an efficiency increase of up to 30 percent (on average 20 percent). In addition to a 20 percent increase in performance (more trains), the capacity utilization of the trains should also be increased by 20 percent through marketing measures. In 1996, DB technical director Roland Heinisch still expected to achieve these goals.

On March 17, 1992, the management committee of the German Railways (FDE) decided to test CIR-ELKE technology and operating procedures on the section of the Rhine Valley Railway between Offenburg and Basel . The route was selected on the basis of the traffic performance requirements, its signaling infrastructure, the number of vehicles already equipped with LZB and the comparatively low level of networking with other lines. Supported by special vehicle schedules, the number of vehicles to be equipped with LZB 80/16 should be limited to 355. The commissioning in stages was expected between the end of 1994 and the end of 1995. A performance increase of 27 percent (from Freiburg to Basel) or 38 percent (from Basel to Freiburg) should be achieved on the route.

Ultimately, the technical and structural equipment for a 130 km long pilot route began in 1995, and was completed in 2001. LZB L72 CE-I has been in regular operation since June 2001. This line was converted to the further development CIR-ELKE II in mid-2006. The Hanover – Göttingen section of the Hanover – Würzburg high-speed line was later converted .

On the pilot route, three new electronic interlockings and four new LZB control centers were to be built, and 17 track plan interlockings were to be converted for the high-performance block. At the beginning of 1999, the cost of the first-time application route was assumed to be 265 million Deutschmarks. After various delays, commissioning was expected in May 1999. At the entrances and exits to and from the train station, 200 m short train track sections were implemented in some cases. In addition to the so-called high - performance block with linear train control and the corresponding equipment, gaps in computer-aided train monitoring were closed on the pilot line, operations control was concentrated in operations centers and a computer-aided train reporting process was set up. Since CIR-ELKE functions could only be implemented in modern relay interlockings and modern electronic interlockings (ESTW), older interlockings were replaced by ESTW.

In 2001, Deutsche Bahn planned to equip the entire long-distance and urban network with CIR-ELKE. The company expected to be able to increase the number of freight trains from 7,000 to 10,000 by deploying CIR-ELKE nationwide.

At the beginning of 2006, 5 LZB centers (approx. 155 km) with LZB CE I and 11 centers (515 km) with LZB CE II were in operation in Germany. There were 34 centers (1580 km) with conventional L72-LZB in Germany, 3 centers (approx. 140 km) in Austria and 11 centers (approx. 530 km) in Spain.

Currently (as of 2017), old LZB centers that are not yet CIR-ELKE-capable are being replaced by new LZB centers with CIR-ELKE. The performance-enhancing functions that would require special configuration are not used. After completion of the planned replacement of the LZB by ETCS in Germany in the 2020s, CIR-ELKE will no longer be used.

CIR-ELKE II

Dark Switched Ks - exit signal in the station Allersberg . Without CIR-ELKE the signal would show “10” (100 km / h). This speed would have to be driven to the end of the subsequent switch area ( three switches). By CIR ELKE this speed restriction is lifted (branching asked) Soft after retraction of the first, the following two points of a track change can be (even) traveled at full line speed. Since this would contradict the signal aspect of the light signal, it is switched to dark.

For the area adjoining the CIR-ELKE-I pilot section to the north, the CE-I system software has been expanded to allow speeds of up to 280 km / h instead of the previous 160 km / h. Based on this, the CIR-ELKE-II functions were developed step by step in several software versions.

On the high-speed line Cologne – Rhine / Main , which was under construction from 1995 , ETCS was initially to be used without stationary signals. When delays became apparent in the specification and implementation of ETCS, the final decision was made in 1998 to use the LZB L72 CE-I, which was subsequently developed into the LZB L72 CE-II.

The further developments of CIR-ELKE II include:

  • Adaptation for a maximum speed of 350 km / h (with CIR-ELKE I previously a maximum of 250 km / h).
  • Management of the eddy current brake of the ICE 3 trains, with static (permanent) and temporary eddy current braking prohibition zones. The eddy current brake could at first only in the new section of Siegburg / Bonn and Frankfurt airport (and in the new section of the new Nuremberg-Ingolstadt as) service brakes are used and is on or off via free-LZB. In the rest of the network, the eddy current brake is only used for rapid and emergency braking .
  • Adaptation to the steep gradients of the route. Earlier LZB versions always assumed the steepest gradient to date of 12.5 per thousand when braking. Due to the gradients of up to 40 per thousand, braking operations would have been initiated unnecessarily early if this blanket assumption had been retained, even if there had been a steep, steep, braking gradient in front of the train. By considering the height profile (with 13 steps) of the route in the LZB project planning, braking processes can be made correspondingly shorter and more economical.
  • Avoiding jumps in the LZB target speed when exiting downhill sections.
  • The new top speed and the longer braking distances made it necessary to increase the target distance over 9,900 meters. The maximum target distance for LZB with CIR-ELKE equipment is 35,000 m if a target point that restricts the speed (or a stop ) is ahead. If there is no such point or stop within this distance, a target distance of 13,000 m is displayed.
  • Using CIR-ELKE and specially adapted vehicle software, an order can be sent to an LZB-guided vehicle to design the main switch in front of a protective section or phase separation point . The signal is transmitted to the driver's cab by means of the EL indicator light and an acoustic signal. This signal is currently used on the Berlin – Hamburg (three separation points) and Leipzig – Berlin (two separation points) routes . (An automatic lowering of the pantograph by the LZB was already implemented in ICE trains in the early 1990s.)
  • With CIR-ELKE, the LZB follow-up order finds its way into the LZB system. This means moving up into a sub-block at an approved speed of less than 40 km / h.
  • The LZB was initially based on rigid braking curves (with rigid deceleration values) which, for thermal reasons, were designed for braking at very high speeds. With CIR-ELKE they have been replaced by broken braking curves with up to three different delays (depending on the speed). By using different delays at different speed levels, losses in driving time are minimized. The braking curves are model-specific and are transmitted from the line control center to the vehicle.
  • Crosswind sensitivity zones with corresponding speed restrictions can be entered for up to eight classes of trains.
  • Tunnel-related speed restrictions for up to four classes of trains can be taken into account.
  • Elements outside the line conductor area can also be taken into account.
  • Procedures were also newly introduced to record faulty short loops in line cables and to measure the quality of the line cable transmission for each LZB location (100 m).

The first test drives with the CIR-ELKE II between Baden-Baden and Offenburg were carried out from July to September 2001, followed by the first test drives on a section of the new Cologne – Rhein / Main line in October 2001.

The approval for the new Cologne – Rhine / Main line was initially subject to conditions that were accepted with further software versions. A new software version was installed for the timetable change in December 2002.

There are a total of three different telegram versions for CIR-ELKE.

Adjustments for the Munich S-Bahn

Initially developed for long-distance traffic, the CIR-ELKE II was adapted for use on the main route of the Munich S-Bahn from December 2004. Further, specific requirements were created by DB Systemtechnik . In addition to additions to the infrastructure, adjustments to the LZB-80 on-board units were also necessary. On the route side, LZB stopping points can now be located 5 m in front of a signal instead of 12.5 to 25 m before. The arrangement of area ID changes has been optimized to increase availability. The minimum train length has been reduced from 100 to 70 m, the maximum target distance restricted to 4000 m.

On the vehicle side, on the class 423 multiple units , the CIR-ELKE I was upgraded to the CIR-ELKE II. Specially optimized braking curves have been developed and compliance with 55 m long slip paths (LZB target stopping point to the danger point) has been demonstrated in rapid braking conditions. New multifunctional display devices enable the target distance to be displayed with an accuracy of up to 5 m. The time to announce a speed reduction has been reduced to 4 seconds. In addition, new software for locating the vehicle was installed.

This was accompanied by measures to increase availability. Among other things, the length of the LZB areas - 12,500 m on the long-distance railway - was shortened to enable vehicles that have fallen out of the LZB management to be picked up more quickly. The length of the short loops (300 m) remained unchanged, but their arrangement was optimized so that two loops can be found on each platform. In addition, special company regulations were adopted.

Other special features

  • The complete inclusion in the LZB (light switching of the driver's cab displays) takes place on lines equipped with CIR-ELKE only when the entire train has passed the main signal that follows the area indicator. Before this, there is a covert transmission in which a transmission is already running, but the driver's cab displays are not yet activated. If the transmission between the concealed recording and the lighted display breaks down, an emergency brake is applied.
  • While on LZB without CIR-ELKE, in addition to speed-limiting destinations, speed increases over the distance to the destination are also signaled in advance, on CIR-ELKE routes only speed restrictions are announced based on the distance to the destination. Speed ​​increases are displayed directly via an increase in the set speed. The braking curves to be observed do not differ.
  • The LZB precautionary order always applies to the CIR-ELKE (as well as when driving with an LZB without CIR-ELKE) up to the next block , which is marked by a main signal .
  • If the LZB transmission breaks down on the open route, it is possible to continue driving (in full block mode) at reduced speed (analogous to conventional LZB). With CIR-ELKE, the main parameters of the following main signal (distance, position, slip path , speed restrictions) are taken into account by the route control center and the LZB-guided train is continuously transmitted a failure speed and the distance to the next main signal. With these variables, it is possible to continue driving in the event of a transmission failure. With CIR-ELKE II, the highest possible failure speed has been increased from 85 to 160 km / h.
  • Emergency stop orders can no longer be transmitted via LZB on CIR-ELKE routes .
  • By means of the LZB (without CIR-ELKE or CIR-ELKE I), the driver is informed visually (indicator light G ) and acoustically about an imminent braking application. With conventional LZB, this warning occurs when the braking application point is less than 1000 m away and the difference between the target and actual speed to be achieved is less than 30 km / h.

Vehicle equipment

In addition to the appropriate technical equipment for the route, the vehicles must also be equipped with special devices for CIR-ELKE.

At the beginning of 1994 a total of 13 locomotives of the series 110, 111, 140 and 141 for CIR-ELKE were converted or intended for conversion. Before operations between Offenburg and Basel began, numerous CIR-ELKE-capable locomotives of the 140 series were relocated to the line.

As of December 2006, the following DB series were equipped with CIR-ELKE in Germany:

As of September 2013, the following DB series were equipped with CIR-ELKE in Germany:

In addition, other railway companies run with appropriately equipped locomotives, for example the SBB with the Re 482 .

The CIR-ELKE system software is downwardly compatible with the LZB L72, the popular LZB software version: Vehicles equipped with LZB-CIR-ELKE-II can, for example, also drive on routes with CIR-ELKE I or without CIR-ELKE. Vehicles without CIR-ELKE equipment, however, are not included in the LZB on CIR-ELKE routes. In addition, should the driver an instruction prove to be allowed to go out CIR ELKE-order a vehicle.

Web links

LZB migration to ETCS

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Ulrich Oser: Overall operational concept for CIR-ELKE . In: Deutsche Bahn . tape 68 , no. 7 , 1992, ISSN  0007-5876 , pp. 723-729 .
  2. ↑ a b DB Netz (Ed.): European Train Control System (ETCS) at DB Netz AG . Frankfurt am Main April 2014, p. 11 ( dbnetze.com [PDF]). European Train Control System (ETCS) at DB Netz AG ( Memento of the original from June 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / fahrweg.dbnetze.com
  3. ^ List of CCS Class B systems. (PDF) European Railway Agency, June 11, 2019, p. 5 , accessed on February 23, 2020 (English).
  4. ↑ a b c The CIR-ELKE project . In: Railway technical review . tape 33 , no. 5 , May 1992, ISSN  0013-2845 , pp. 333 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h Karl-Heinz Suwe: CIR-ELKE - a project by Deutsche Bahn from the perspective of railway signaling technology . In: Swiss Railway Review . No. 1, 2 , 1993, ISSN  1022-7113 , pp. 40-46 .
  6. ↑ a b c Fritz Eilers, Wolfgang Ernst: The installation of the high-performance block (HBL) with linear train control . In: Deutsche Bahn . tape 68 , no. 7 , 1992, ISSN  0007-5876 , pp. 768-770 .
  7. ↑ a b Peter Debuschewitz: The project CIR ELKE . In: Deutsche Bahn . tape 68 , no. 7 , 1992, ISSN  0007-5876 , pp. 717-722 .
  8. ^ Hans Peter Weber, Michael Rebentisch: The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1992 for the rail sector . In: Railway technical review . tape 41 , no. 7/8 , 1992, ISSN  0013-2845 , pp. 448-456 .
  9. ↑ Helmut Wegel: The high-performance block with linear train control (HBL) . In: Deutsche Bahn . No. 7 , 1992, ISSN  0007-5876 , pp. 735-739 .
  10. ↑ Jürgen Heinrich: Setting the course for the "computer train" . In: VDI news . No. 15 , 1996, ISSN  0042-1758 , pp. 24 ff .
  11. ^ A b Walter Vögele, Wolfgang Ruppelt, Siegfried Lorenz: Planning and implementation of the pilot route for CIR-ELKE . In: Deutsche Bahn . tape 68 , no. 7 , 1992, ISSN  0007-5876 , pp. 763-767 .
  12. ↑ a b c d e f g h Manfred Frank: Extension of the LZB system for the Cologne – Rhine / Main line . In: signal + wire . tape 95 , no. 10 , 2003, ISSN  0037-4997 , p. 31-33 .
  13. ^ Message from CIR-Elke before the start . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , Issue 1/2, 1999, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 4
  14. ↑ More efficient DB route Karlsruhe-Basel . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . July 13, 2001, p. 14 .
  15. ^ Wolf H. Goldschmitt: New railway technology increases transport capacities . In: The world . No. 145 , 2001, p. 17 ( online ).
  16. ↑ Swen Lehr, Thomas Naumann, Otto Schittenhelm: Parallel equipment of the Berlin – Halle / Leipzig line with ETCS and LZB . In: signal + wire . tape 98 , no. 4 , 2006, ISSN  0037-4997 , p. 6-10 .
  17. ↑ a b c d Stefan Proettel, Gerd Renninger: Validation of the system software for the LZB headquarters of the Cologne-Rhein / Main line . In: signal + wire . tape 96 , no. 3 , 2004, ISSN  0037-4997 , p. 15-17 .
  18. ↑ a b c d e f g Gerd Renninger, Franz Riedisser: The further development of line train control since 2000 . In: Railway engineer calendar . DVV Media Group / Eurailpress, 2009, ISBN 978-3-7771-0375-4 , ISSN  0934-5930 , p. 173-184 .
  19. ^ A b c Eduard Murr: Functional further development of the line train control (LZB) . In: Deutsche Bahn . tape 68 , no. 7 , 1992, ISSN  0007-5876 , pp. 743-746 .
  20. ↑ a b c Klaus Hornemann: New LZB on the Munich S-Bahn . In: signal + wire . tape 97 , no. 9 , 2005, ISSN  0037-4997 , p. 14-20 .
  21. ^ Message locomotives for CIR-ELKE . In: Eisenbahn-Kurier , issue 2/1994, p. 10
  22. ↑ Notification of relocations and inventory adjustment . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , Issue 5, 1998, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 174 f.