Transport management
Transport management passenger traffic (TP) / traffic management (VL) is a term in the passenger traffic of Deutsche Bahn . It describes the control centers in which information about the current state of the rail system, about delays and disruptions in trains and at the stations come together. The TP / VL has no pre-planning tasks, but acts ad hoc in the event of irregularities in ongoing train operations. Until 2011, the term “transport management” was uniform for DB Regio and DB Fernverkehr , but has been different since 2012: DB Fernverkehr now calls the control centers as part of its restructuring process. The establishment of these control centers is, among other things, a requirement of DB Netz AG to all railway companies (EVU) on their rail network.
To improve coordination, a distinction is made in long-distance traffic between regional ( regional traffic management ) and nationwide tasks ( central traffic management , ZVL).
General
organization
The control centers for passenger traffic (TP / VL) are divided into TP Regio, VL long-distance traffic and Central Traffic Management (ZVL). In addition, separate transport lines can be set up for special products, routes or delimited units (e.g. for S-Bahn trains in metropolitan areas).
At DB Regio, TP Regio performs all transport control tasks for its respective area. In the case of supra-regional measures in local transport, the neighboring transport lines coordinate with one another. The ZTP (Central Transport Management) provides support in escalating situations if necessary.
The traffic management at DB Fernverkehr work together under the leadership of the ZVL. The ZVL takes on the function of coordinating regional interests to a uniform approach towards customers. VL Fernverkehr decides largely independently in its area; However, to ensure the overall "transport control" process, the approval of the ZVL is required for special measures (e.g. partial or train breakdown, use of replacement trains, additional stops, exceeding the regular waiting times for cross-regional connections, etc.).
The transport and traffic management of Deutsche Bahn AG are mainly housed in the operations centers of DB Netz AG. The regional long-distance traffic management is divided into the following locations:
| Location | Disposition area |
|---|---|
| Hanover | North |
| Duisburg | west |
| Frankfurt | Nationwide (ZVL) |
| Neckar | Southwest and center |
| Munich | south |
| Leipzig | Southeast |
| Berlin | east |
Transport control
The key function of the transport and traffic management is to recognize foreseeable or already existing impairments of the transport service and to develop customer-oriented solutions together with their partners (internal and external). In the event of deviations from the customer offer, she provides the traveler information. This main task is called transport control .
Maintaining quality
The aim is to maintain or restore the quality of the transport service to customers. In the event of a loss of quality, substitute measures must therefore be taken and reliable customer information guaranteed. In order to identify weak points and systematic errors, the TP / VL provides those involved with statistical data from the operational process.
Intervention in the transport process
In the event of deviations from the scheduled operation, the transport and traffic management are the only bodies of Deutsche Bahn's passenger traffic that are allowed to intervene in the transport process in cooperation with the control centers of DB Netz AG ( operating centers [BZ] and network control center [NLZ]).
Tasks and working methods of the TP and VL
The core tasks of the transport and traffic management can be broken down into fault recording and its evaluation, disposition and information transfer.
Fault detection, monitoring of the operational process
The basis of the fault detection is the monitoring of the operational sequence (monitoring) against the timetable, which represents the target of the transport services to be provided. The TP / VL has various systems (e.g. ISTP → Information System Transport Management Passenger Traffic) and means with which it provides an overview of the operational situation. It continuously evaluates the information available and continuously weighs whether and to what extent there is a need for action, e.g. B. due to deviations in the transport services offered (delay, diversion, route closure, etc.) or the use of resources (motor vehicles or multiple units, wagons and personnel).
Disposition
Through the disposition of the TP / VL, the quality of the transport service vis-à-vis customers is to be maintained, restored or ensured through replacement measures. Possible measures can be securing the travel chain by granting a connection or offering alternative connections, the use of additional staff, (different) vehicles, replacement trains or additional stops. In order to limit disruptions (delays, but also technical disruptions or deviating sequences) in their effects, trains can also be turned around or rerouted ahead of time, technical staff can be used to rectify the problem, or rotating trips or replacement or additional trains can be arranged. These measures must be weighed up in each individual case with regard to their expediency and feasibility, but above all these measures must be carefully planned (resources and route capacity, as well as infrastructural restrictions) and communicated and also have a certain robustness against further changes in the current or future situation.
Dissemination of information
The TP / VL provides all the data required to provide timely and comprehensive information to customers and all points within and outside of passenger traffic. This is primarily done using standardized business transactions in the modules of the traveler information system (RIS) or by email, fax or telephone. Most of the customer information is generated via the “Information System Transport Line Passenger Traffic” (short: ISTP).
staff
In the TP / VL dispatchers work with a wide variety of tasks. The team in a TP / VL always consists of a different number of resource and traffic dispatchers, as well as a shift manager. Depending on the region, there are also international traffic dispatchers, immediate followers, shift supervisors and mobility coordinators. All of these employees work together in a team and develop solutions together.
education
The dispatchers mostly come from the area they have to dispatch. So you have been a train attendant or train driver and therefore bring a wealth of experience with you. Since 2010, newly hired dispatchers in passenger transport have also been specially certified. You must attend a seven-week seminar that includes four weeks of theory. The seminar is concluded with an approx. Five-hour written exam followed by an assessment interview and the handover of the certificate. The dispatchers in the TP / VL attend regular advanced training courses every year and a seminar on occupational safety regulations every two years.
Traffic dispatcher
The traffic dispatcher receives reports of deviations from the planned train operation. This can be done by the supply line, the train driver or the train driver z. B. about restrictions and malfunctions in the vehicles or connection requests from customers. Reports from the railway infrastructure company (e.g. DB Netz ) e.g. B. about disturbances on the line (signals, switches, etc.) he receives. The traffic dispatcher has the task of counteracting the disruptions and informing all parties involved (especially the customers) in good time about the expected restrictions and developed alternatives. Often he also regulates the staffing of the train crew, e.g. B. in the event of delays, in compliance with the law on working hours.
Resource dispatcher
The responsibility of the resource dispatcher is for personnel and vehicle dispatching during the train journey. In the event of a disruption or delay, he ensures that the trains are manned by personnel in compliance with occupational health and safety laws. B. in the event of a locomotive damage a replacement locomotive.
Shift Supervisor
He has special tasks. He only leads the team professionally, provides internal information, documents the incidents and supports the employees. In the event of major disruptions, he develops measures with managers.
history
The first management offices in Germany were set up at the end of September 1912. The so-called train lines emerged from the knowledge that the operational sequence must be controlled across the route in order to avoid congestion in the nodes. Overhead cables (OzL) were later created to coordinate the individual operations control centers. After the Second World War, these general operations management were converted into upper operations management and their powers were restricted in favor of the federal railway directorates .
The Central Transport Management was established in early 1971. It emerged from the amalgamation of the senior management teams south and west.
As part of the second ZTP expansion stage, on April 1, 1971, the design and planning department responsible for supra-regional construction and signaling technology planning was integrated into the central transport management. It was founded on October 1st, 1969 at the Frankfurt Federal Railway Directorate.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Rüdiger Scotland, Heribert Küsters, Wolfgang Fritz: Operations management tasks of the central transport management . In: Die Bundesbahn , year 45 (1971), issue 19/20, ISSN 0007-5876 , pp. 927-932
- ^ Paul Werner: The tasks of the planning department within the ZTL . In: The Federal Railroad . No. 19/20, 1971, ISSN 0007-5876 , pp. 987-984.