Automatic train operation

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Display device (DMI) of a Thameslink multiple unit running automatically under ETCS with ATO close to the braking curve (presentation at Innotrans 2016)

Automatic Train Operation (ATO) is the automated train operation in which the train control is completely or partially taken over by the trip computer. The various degrees of automation range from brake control and travel control for speed control, through travel control and door control at the stopping point, to possible remote control for driverless operation.

In technical usage, an ATO system usually refers to the vehicle-side equipment that derives the control commands from the driving terms of a track- side train control system .

stages

The International Association for Public Transport (UITP) has summarized the degree of automation (GoA) in local public transport in four levels. This results from the MODURBAN project (EU 2005–2009). These were recorded in the IEC 62267 standard in 2010 and named there in addition to the numerical levels as NTO, STO, DTO and UTO.

Level 0 - GoA0
OS (on-sight train operation) is the conventional way of driving on sight , like a tram. It describes manual driving without train protection and must be defined as a fall-back level for the other degrees of automation.
Level 1 - GoA1
NTO (non-automated train operation) is the manual journey with train control. The driver regulates the journey and is responsible for starting, stopping and door controls. The train operation is not automated, but some parameters of the journey can be regulated by a train control (see brake control in the following section). At level 1a the train control is selective (on signals, PZB), at level 1b it is continuous (with LZB).
Level 2 - GoA2
STO (semi-automatic train operation) is the semi-automatic train operation with a driver. The drive from start to stop is carried out fully automatically, but the driver triggers the start and is responsible for controlling the door. If necessary, he can take over driving control immediately. Many conversions of older routes are done this way.
Level 3 - GoA3
DTO (driverless train operation) is the accompanied driverless train operation. Instead of constant checks by a driver, there is only one train attendant. This is responsible for door control and can move the train via an emergency control panel.
Level 4 - GoA4
UTO (unattended train operation) is the fully automatic driverless train operation. There is no longer any staff on the train and all operations are automated. The control center can intervene in train operations.

In parlance, an automatic driving mode means a semi-automatic system used . The technical fully automatic is found in driverless operation.

Semi-automatic train operation

Automatic brake control

Level 1 of automation is based on an existing train control system that has defined braking curves. A speed adjustment is transferred by the driver to an automatic drive control (Supervision and Control Train Operation - SCO). This results in a partial driving intervention which, unlike emergency braking, does not require cancellation by the vehicle driver. One example is the Long Island Rail Road Automatic Speed ​​Control (ASC) - this automatic speed control was developed to compress the cycle to ensure that the trains can use the maximum speed limit. It is therefore compatible with conventional train protection based on driver's cab signaling in accordance with Pulse Code Cab Signaling .

In Germany, a combination of on-board automatic driving and braking control (AFB) in conjunction with line-side line control (LZB) has the same result - the speed control cannot exceed the maximum specified on the track side, but the trip computer automatically accelerates and brakes in the area below the AFB -Controller predetermined speed setpoint. An intended stop in a train station is not recognized by this system.

Semi-automatic train operation

In level 2 of the automation, additional information about breakpoints is defined. The semi-automatic train operation with driver has often emerged from the conversion of existing subways. All parameters of the route section to the next station are set and monitored automatically. The driver monitors the stop in the station and triggers the journey with the start button.

The first automatic train operation existed on the former metro line 2 (now part of metro line 5 ) in Barcelona from 1962 to 1970. Photoelectric cells were used to regulate acceleration and braking, as well as steel plates for distance control. The system was replaced by a more modern variant in 1971.

The Victoria Line in London was intended for automatic train operation when it was built and has been running since 1968 - although a driver was still planned for this new construction. However, this only monitors the entrance to the station and the clearance for the exit, after pressing "Start" the route to the next stop is automatically controlled. In 2013 the system was replaced.

The lines U1 – U4 of the Vienna subway also run automatically, the driver only has to press a departure button. The control is carried out by means of linear control . At some terminal stations, the trains are also turned over the sweeping system without a driver .

The Munich subway is operated semi-automatically during the day. The driver has to press two start buttons synchronously and in parallel. The light signals are switched off during automatic operation.

As part of the digital hub Stuttgart , regional and S-Bahn traffic in the Stuttgart region is to be gradually equipped with ATO GoA 2 from 2026.

Fully automatic train operation

Emergency cab on a train on metro line 9 (Barcelona)

In levels 3 and 4, driverless train operation is implemented in which the door control is also automated. A distinction is made here between whether the order to continue the journey is given by an accompanying supervisor or whether this step is also automated. The fully automatic train operation requires regular monitoring by an operation control center (OCC); an autonomous journey by the trip computer is not provided for in rail traffic.

Driverless systems are often used for shuttle trains at airports (“ people mover ”). These systems are now also in use on some light rail vehicles, although a train attendant is often still with them. Even trains in driverless train operation usually have an emergency driver's cab that can be used for manual maneuvering, while in line operation control is carried out by a trip computer in conjunction with a central train control.

In contrast to the semi-automatic Victoria Line, newer lines in London such as the Docklands Light Railway are designed to be driverless. The train attendant at DLR Line (first called "Train Captain", then "Passenger Service Agent") remains responsible for closing the door. The Central Line and Jubilee Line also work fully automatically.

In Germany, the driverless subway in Nuremberg ( RUBIN project, realization of an automated subway in Nuremberg ) has been in fully automatic train operation since 2008 (U3) and 2010 (U2). Before that, after trials from the 1960s on the Hamburger Hochbahn on the Hamburg U1 line, automated operation took place from 1982 to 1985. From 1985 to 1993, automated operation with a train driver using the SelTrac system was also carried out on the Berlin U4 line . Also at the Frankfurt U-Bahn in the 1990s, test drives were successfully carried out during nightly breaks in operation with two converted U3 railcars on the B line . The Munich subway is now fully equipped for automated operation (automatic operation with driver). Plans for converting the Berlin U5 to driverless operation have been discontinued.

The Copenhagen Metro has been operated with fully automatic trains since 2002. These are two underground lines M1 and M2, each with a length of 13.7 km and 14.2 km. The system enables operation every 2.5 minutes. In Switzerland , the driverless's Metro Lausanne in operation in 2008. The metro line 14 in Paris also runs automatically without driver since 1998, is also the first moving blocks -based Metro system. There are also several automatic metro lines in Lyon.

There are currently 15 fully automatic metro systems in Europe (excluding airport railways). Around one billion passengers used driverless trains in 2015. Many other systems are under construction or in the planning stage, including Hamburg, Istanbul and Vienna.

In September 2016, Deutsche Bahn and SNCF agreed on an extensive cooperation, the core of which is a joint digitization strategy. Both railways want to develop driverless trains in particular. According to its own statements, Deutsche Bahn intends to "be ready by 2023 at the latest by 2016 (...) so that we can drive fully automatically in parts of our network". A first use is most likely conceivable in route sections without mixed traffic, for example suburban trains.

In 2017, the Swiss Südostbahn announced that it wanted to operate the Wattwil – Nesslau Neu St. Johann section with an automatic S-Bahn train without an engine driver. The project was tied back by the Federal Office of Transport (FOT). In December of the same year, SBB demonstrated a double-decker train from Stadler Rail in semi-automatic train operation with a driver at a press conference . Nevertheless, the project of the Swiss Southeast Railway is being pursued. An industry solution is being sought. Rail Systems Engineering from Wallisellen and Bombardier Transportation (Switzerland) are represented in the race with Stadler Rail . The first test drives are to take place between December 2019 and December 2020.

In Australia, semi-automatic train operations with a driver started on the ore railways of the Rio Tinto Groupe at the beginning of 2017 . The company operates a route network of 1700 km in length with 200 locomotives. At the end of 2017, around half of the mileage was achieved in semi-automatic operation. In December 2017, the first heavy freight train ran in fully automatic, driverless train operation over a distance of almost 100 km. The nationwide introduction of fully automatic train operations is planned for 2018.

Records

The biggest train driver-free rail operation is the iron ore railway from Rio Tinto in Western Australia . Since June 2019, up to 50 trains have been running simultaneously in GoA-4 operation on the 1500 km long route network. See the Automatic Train Operation AutoHaul section in the Western Australia Railways article .

Until June 2014, the following records were in place:

  • The longest route network with driverless train operation is 68.7 km in length in the three lines of the Vancouver SkyTrain in operation
  • The longest single route with driverless operation is line 2 of Métro Lille with a length of 31.7 km
  • The longest metro line in driverless operation is the north-east line in Singapore , which runs completely in the tunnel and is 20 km in length

The Dubai Metro (with a 70 km network and 50 km on one line) and the underground Circle Line in Singapore (with a 33.3 km route) will surpass these records in the future.

Around a third of the just over 3,000 subway vehicles ordered in 2019 are to be operated without a driver.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ International Association of Public Transport: A global bid for automation: UITP Observatory of Automated Metros confirms sustained growth rates for the coming years .
  2. ↑ http://www.uitp.org/content/modurban
  3. ^ Hans-Christian Kaiser: U-Bahn Berlin - development of control and safety systems . TU Dresden. June 26, 2014.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / tu-dresden.de  
  4. ↑ José Mora: L5 Cornellà Center - Vall d'Hebrón . (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 7, 2010 ; Retrieved December 12, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / cv.uoc.edu
  5. ↑ Source is missing
  6. ↑ Tom Parkinson, Ian Fisher: Driverless metros poised to expand , in: Railway Gazette International , March 1, 2000. Retrieved December 12, 2011 .
  7. ↑ Marc Behrens, Enrico Eckhardt, Michael Kümmling, Markus Loef, Peter Otrzonsek, Martin Schleede, Max-Leonhard von Schaper, Sven Wanstrath: On the way to the digital node Stuttgart: an overview . In: The Railway Engineer . tape 71 , no. 4 , April 2020, ISSN  0013-2810 , p. 14-18 ( PDF ).
  8. ^ Jens Bergmann: Digital node Stuttgart. (PDF) Declaration by DB Netz AG on content and objectives. DB Netz, April 21, 2020, p. 1 f. , accessed on April 24, 2020 .
  9. ^ Peter Courtenay: Docklands Light Railway: Trains . Retrieved December 12, 2011 .
  10. ↑ Self-driving metros carry one billion passengers in Europe . In: Alliance pro rail . November 30, 2016 ( allianz-pro-schiene.de [accessed December 16, 2016]).
  11. ↑ Nikolaus Doll, Gesche Wüpper: Germans and French build the ghost train . In: The world . September 22, 2016, ISSN  0173-8437 , p. 12 .
  12. ↑ Federal government slows down SOB on automatic trains . In: St. Galler Tagblatt . June 16, 2017, p. 20 .
  13. ↑ Stefan Ehrbar: Now the first self-driving SBB train is rolling . In: 20 minutes . May 12, 2017 ( 20min.ch [accessed December 24, 2017]).
  14. ↑ Test: Automatic trains will soon be running over Swiss tracks. In: inside-it.ch. December 18, 2018, accessed December 19, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Rio Tinto completes first fully autonomous rail journey in Western Australia. Retrieved October 2, 2017, December 24, 2017 (UK English).
  16. ↑ Kevin Smith: Rise of the machines . Rio Tinto breaks new ground with AutoHaul. In: International Railway Journal (IRJ) . August 2019, p. 14-18 .
  17. ^ Railway Technology - ALSTOM chosen for the world's longest fully automated metro line in Singapore ( Memento from October 1, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  18. ↑ Special Features - Already Properties ( Memento of the original from May 4, 2007 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. , DubaiCityGuide.com  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dubaicityguide.com
  19. ^ One-third of car orders are driverless . In: Metro Report International . tape 34 , no. 1 , 2020, ISSN  1756-4409 , p. 40-43 .