Train completeness check

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
One sign of the light signal of the train end signal (Zg 2) has been replaced by a shape signal . This combination is prohibited by the Ril 301 of the DB Netz . By recognizing the end-of-train signal, the train driver can issue a train completion report after a train completion check . The train has to stop and may, after leaving the affected Zugfolgeabschnitts not have been changed. The wording for a train completeness report is: "Train [number] has arrived completely at [name of the operating point]."

Train completeness check is the name of technical systems or operational rules that check whether a train is complete at a certain point , i.e. whether it has not lost any rail cars .

background

As a rule, a train is only allowed to drive on a train heading section if there are no other vehicles in it that the train could collide with. Some methods for securing train journeys are based on the knowledge that a track section is free when the last train that entered it has completely left it (and no other vehicles have entered).

Classic implementation

On most railways, the last car of each train receives end-of-train signals . In the classic way of securing train journeys, a railroad employee can tell from the final signals of a passing train that the train is complete. If the end-of-train signals are missing, it can be assumed that there are still wagons in the previous section. Modern interlockings and block systems usually have a direct technical track vacancy detection . A train completeness check for safety reasons is not necessary in these areas in regular operation.

Implementation for ETCS Level 3

Modern train control systems determine the location of the vehicles (Zugspitze) conventionally quasi-continuously via stationary facilities. If the location of all trains is known, it makes sense to dispense with the technically complex track vacancy detection. This is the case with ETCS Level 3 ( End of Train Detection ). Knowing the location of the Zugspitze is not enough on its own.

With ETCS Level 3, the train divides the route using a position report . a. its location and its train integrity. The ETCS headquarters evaluates this data and issues the corresponding subsequent trains with travel permits .

history

A broad study on train completeness monitoring and length determination (especially of freight trains), which was carried out in the second half of the 1990s on behalf of the EU by the DB Research and Technology Center , resulted in the recommendation in 2000 that further development should be carried out Focus on procedures based on the monitoring of pressure and air mass flow in the main air line . As part of the project, a specification sheet for the train completeness monitoring system (ZVS) and possible solutions were developed. A security level was required that corresponds to the fixed track vacancy detection. In addition to the security in the detection of train separations, protection against illegal attachment of wagons to the train formation was also considered. The disclosure times to be fulfilled for the separation of freight trains were up to 100 seconds. A combination of GPS with an inertial system (for tunnel areas), measurements of radio transit times between the start and end of the train, and sound transmission via the main air duct from the end of the train were investigated as further technical approaches . In addition, the use of the UIC-EP cable (with train connection contact ), electrical / electronic brake query and control (EBAS), the use of fiber optics including the multiple unit computer (e.g. on the ICE) as well as the train length measurement using spread spectrum Signals . Monitoring of the completeness of the train on three levels was considered for locomotives used in passenger transport: In addition to monitoring the coupling contact and evaluating the status of one or more safety loops, the central control unit (ZSG) should monitor communication on the train bus.

Approaches with satellite navigation were discarded due to frequent shadowing and insufficient accuracy of the inertial system used. The transmission of sound through the main air duct proved to be too susceptible to interfering noises, in particular those resulting from brake actuation. Pressure and volume flow measurements in the main air line proved to be the most meaningful. The essential drawback of this and other methods was the train terminal. The first application of the ZVS was planned for the radio operation , for which a prototype of the ZVS should be made available by the end of 1999 (status: 1997).

To ensure the integrity of freight trains, u. a. also proposed the introduction of automatic couplers , with which data can be transmitted along the train. The train integrity monitoring could be established, for example, by permanent communication between a peak train device and the monitoring device of the last coupling of the train. At the Technical University of Berlin , developments are under way to test the train integrity for level 3 based on this. Other approaches include various variants of end of train devices , the recognition of the number and arrangement of cars by the leading vehicle by means of the track induced Ultrasound , the monitoring of various values ​​(e.g. pressure on the main air line) on the traction vehicle, the detection of the last vehicle through the route (with return transmission to the train) as well as the comparison of known axles on the train and the track side. So-called "Freight Cars 4.0" are also proposed, in which the availability of electrical energy should allow permanent monitoring.

A train completeness check is planned for new regional multiple units in local rail passenger transport in Baden-Württemberg planned for delivery from 2024 . A train completeness check is also planned for the ETCS retrofitting of S-Bahn and regional multiple units for the digital hub in Stuttgart .

In addition, new multiple units that are being procured for the British High Speed ​​2 are to be equipped accordingly.

Outstanding development

To ensure that following trains do not collide with separated train parts, the completeness of the trains has to be checked simultaneously and continuously. This is conventionally achieved by means of axially fixed axles. No information is available between the metering points, so this concept still requires block protection. A replacement is possible for electrically equipped trains by signaling between the Zugspitze and the end of the train, for trains that are not entirely electrically equipped by radio transmission between the Zugspitze and the end of the train.

Future development

Only a separation of rail-mounted train route protection and tensile train protection allows the replacement of the block protection and thus a significant increase in the performance of the track network and the train systems. This is not provided for in the ETCS Level 2. A particular difficulty arises from the variety of different train systems and old rolling stock.

Closed track networks outside Europe, especially for coal, ore and mineral transport, use such solutions with great economic success.

Technical design

Passenger trains

Modern multiple units such as TGV , ICE or AVE are equipped with bus systems for internal train communication and for vehicle control systems. Even modern passenger coaches have a 24-pin standardized control line that runs through all coaches. A train separation would also separate the bus. In order to detect an unintentional train separation, a missing connection between the first and last car could be detected via this (e.g. via regular telegrams via the train bus). Whether this alone is sufficient depends largely on the necessary safety goal of the train completion report. Possibly. further measures (e.g. additional bus) are required.

Freight trains

Telemeter on a South African coal train
Top train device in the driver's cab of a North American locomotive.

In freight trains , the freight cars are only mechanically coupled. They also have a continuous main air line for controlling the brakes . Therefore, considerations for the train completeness check for freight trains start on this line. In the event of a train separation, the air pressure in the line would drop rapidly. Marketable products are not yet known.

In North America and South Africa , radio-based train integrity control devices are used, which are referred to in English as Train Integrity Devices (TID) or Train Integrity Monitoring System (TIMS). They consist of an "End-of-Train-Device" (EOT), which is attached to the last vehicle of the train like a train-end signal by the railway staff and connected to the brake line of the train, as well as an end-of-train device called "Head -of-Train Device "(HTD or HOT). The two devices exchange data with each other via radio, whereby the EOT measures the pressure of the main air line and the train movement by means of acceleration sensors and GPS and transmits it to the front-end device via radio , where the data from the front end can be used to detect a train separation . The train completeness control devices are unsuitable for European applications, since with the usual short train sequences a train separation cannot be recognized quickly enough.

In North America, the train terminals are usually referred to as "Flashing rear-end devices", or FRED for short, and in South Africa as "Telemeter". The control device is supplied with energy by air from the brake line, which drives a small turbine in the device.

The pull-tip device is known colloquially in North America as Wilma , and in Canada the abbreviation SBU for Sense and Brake Unit is also common. The train head device usually has several indicator lights that indicate the status of the train terminal device, the communication and the movements of the train end. The pressure of the brake line at the end of the train is also displayed digitally. Rapid braking can be triggered by the EOT via a switch. In modern engines the Zugspitze device is usually integrated into the control of the locomotive and the display via the process value display to the driver .

In 2019, the Austrian Federal Railways called for a European program for the introduction of automatic couplings in freight transport, including a. for easier determination of train integrity for ETCS Level 3.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Railway Timetable & Traffic, Analysis - Modeling - Simulation, Editors: Ingo Arne Hansen - Jörn Pachl, Eurailpress, p. 19, ISBN 978-3-7771-0371-6
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Rolf Heitmann, Frank-Bernhard Ptok: Systems for train completeness monitoring . In: signal + wire . tape 89 , no. November 11 , 1997, ISSN  0037-4997 , pp. 22-25 .
  3. ^ A b c Franz Quante, Frank Leißner, Bernhard Ptok, Hans-Jürgen Seyfarth: Investigations into train completeness monitoring (ZVS) for freight trains . In: Railway technical review . tape 49 , no. 7/8 , July 2000, ISSN  0013-2845 , p. 534-539 .
  4. ↑ a b c Rolf Heitmann, Frank-Bernhard Ptok, Franz Quante: Feasibility studies on strategies in train completeness monitoring . In: signal + wire . tape 91 , no. 1 + 2 , January 1999, ISSN  0037-4997 , p. 5-11 .
  5. ↑ Ralf Jahncke, Roland Bänsch, Johannes Kohlschütter: Sustainable freight cars: Revolution instead of evolution . In: ... (=  Railway Engineer Compendium ). 2019, ISSN  0934-5930 , ZDB -ID 2878509-5 , p. 71-78 .
  6. ↑ Ullrich Martin , Niels Neuberg, Carlo von Molo, Kewen Ji, Matthias Körner: Automatic central buffer coupling with electrical line connection - perspectives for RIU and EVU . In: Railway technical review . No. November 11 , 2015, ISSN  0013-2845 , p. 31-34 .
  7. ↑ Jürgen Sielmann, Armando Carrillo Zanuy: More productivity through longer and more intelligent freight trains . In: Railway technical review . No. 1 + 2 , January 2017, ISSN  0013-2845 , p. 18-21 .
  8. ↑ Ullrich Martin, Matthias Körner, Rainer Beck: Functional safety requirements for an ETCS L3 compatible central buffer coupling . In: signal + wire . tape 107 , no. December 12 , 2015, ISSN  0037-4997 , p. 15-19 .
  9. ↑ Jenny Böhm, Ulrich Deghela, Márton Pálinkó, Dachuan Shi, Markus Hecht, Lutz Hübner: Rethinking Railways - Technical Innovations for Rail Transport from Berlin-Brandenburg . In: Railway technical review . No. 9 , September 2018, ISSN  0013-2845 , p. 60-65 .
  10. ^ Rolf Seiffert: Train Integrity, making ETCS L3 happen . In: signal + wire . tape 102 , no. 9 , September 2010, ISSN  0037-4997 , p. 49 f .
  11. ↑ Manfred Enning, Raphael Pfaff: Güterwagen 4.0 - The goods wagon for the Internet of Things . Part 1: Overall system consideration and basic concept. In: Railway technical review . No. 1 + 2 , January 2017, ISSN  0013-2845 , p. 12-16 .
  12. ↑ Information brochure for the Europe-wide market research process to prepare for the manufacture, delivery and maintenance of electric rail vehicles for future use in Baden-Württemberg. (PDF) In: nvbw.de. Ministry of Transport Baden-Württemberg, p. 10 , accessed December 7, 2019 .
  13. ^ Germany-Stuttgart: Repair, maintenance and associated services in connection with railways and other equipment. Document 361424-2020. In: Tenders Electronic Daily . July 31, 2020, accessed August 2, 2020 .
  14. ↑ Thomas Vogel: project description. (PDF) Award unit: Delivery of electric multiple units and, if necessary, long-term ensuring their availability during operation for use in the Stuttgart - Lake Constance network; here: Equipped with ETCS and ATO GoA 2. State Authority for Rail Vehicles Baden-Württemberg, July 8, 2020, p. 3 , accessed on August 2, 2020 ("Version: 1").
  15. ↑ J. Öttl, Ssykor: project description. (PDF) Award unit: Equipping the electric multiple units of the state of Baden-Württemberg (Flirt and Talent series) with ETCS and ATO GoA 2. DB Regio, July 9, 2020, pp. 3, 6, 7 , accessed on July 15, 2020 ( File 20FEF46639 project description ETCS ATO SFBW.pdf in ZIP archive).
  16. ↑ Hagen Ssykor: project description. (PDF) Award unit: Equipment planning booklet for multiple units of the Stuttgart S-Bahn (series 423 and 430) with ETCS and ATO GoA 2 for “first-in-class” and series. DB Regio, July 9, 2020, pp. 3, 6 , accessed on July 14, 2020 (file 20FEF46179 project description ETCS ATO SBS.pdf in ZIP archive).
  17. ↑ Germany-Frankfurt am Main: Railway and tram locomotives and rolling stock and associated parts. In: ted.europa.eu. July 14, 2020, accessed July 15, 2020 .
  18. ↑ J. Öttl, Ssykor: project description. (PDF) Award unit: Equipping the electric multiple units of the state of Baden-Württemberg (Flirt and Talent series) with ETCS and ATO GoA 2. DB Regio, July 9, 2020, pp. 3, 6, 7 , accessed on July 15, 2020 ( File 20FEF46639 project description ETCS ATO SFBW.pdf in ZIP archive).
  19. ↑ ÖBB calls for a European program for automatic coupling . In: Rail Business . No. 41 , ISSN  1867-2728 , ZDB -ID 2559332-8 , p. 3 .