Advanced Train Management System (ATMS) Proof of Concept Phase

SUMMARY In June 2008 the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) announced an investment of A$90 million to improve capacity, safety and efficiency on the interstate rail network through the development of an Advanced Train Management System (ATMS). As part of the investment the ARTC entered into a contract for A$73.2 million with Lockheed Martin (LM) for the company to design, develop, construct, integrate and test an ATMS prototype system on 105 kilometres of the interstate rail network between Crystal Brook and Port Augusta. Lockheed Martin has engaged Ansaldo-STS to assist with the delivery of the project. The Proof of Concept Phase of the ATMS program is underway and by April 2009 the project will be 10 months into the 39 month schedule. This paper outlines the ATMS project, the broad program plan and the rationale for and description of the ATMS including a status report on the current Proof of Concept Phase. The paper will also examine some of the key issues that the program is addressing. INTRODUCTION In June 2008 the ARTC announced an investment of A$90 million to improve capacity, safety and efficiency on the interstate rail network through the development of an Advanced Train Management System (ATMS). As part of the investment, the ARTC entered into a contract for A$73.2 million with Lockheed Martin for the company to design, develop, construct, integrate and test an ATMS prototype system on 105 kilometres of the interstate rail network between Crystal Brook and Port Augusta. Lockheed Martin has engaged Ansaldo-STS to assist with the delivery of the project. The Proof of Concept task has been divided into two stages, with Stage 1 delivering a number of identified base functionalities and Stage 2 building on more advanced functionalities. The plan is for Stage 1 of the program to be completed by April 2010 with Stage 2 completed by October 2011. The initial stage of the Proof of Concept program has involved the mobilisation of project teams in America and Australia. Lockheed Martin and the ARTC have co-located the key Project management personnel in Adelaide; Lockheed Martins system engineering and software development teams are based in Manassas (Virginia) and in Melbourne; and the Ansaldo-STS team is based in Brisbane, Perth and France. The early Proof of Concept work has focused on refining the functional requirements of the system. With that task finalised in December 2008, the first few months of 2009 will focus on system design. Testing on a System Integration Facility will be undertaken in a laboratory in Lockheed Martins Melbourne office during the latter part of 2009, followed by field testing in South Australia early 2010. Should the Proof of Concept program prove successful, the ARTC will consider a roll-out of the system over its 10,000 kilometre rail network. A detailed roll-out strategy will be developed during the Proof of Concept Phase with the roll-out likely to be staged and to take a number of years. RATIONALE FOR AND DESCRIPTION OF ATMS The Australian rail industry is facing two major challenges. The first is to improve the rail industrys market share in the movement of freight between capital cities. The second is to take hold of the opportunity presented by the anticipated doubling of the freight task over the next decade. The ability to gain market share of the freight transport task is pivotal to the ARTCs business success. The ARTC aims to do this by improving train service availability, transit time, reliability and yield. Its current investment strategy is focussed on achieving these objectives. Even so, the rail network will be stretched beyond its configuration capability to meet future demand unless it is able to break through its current operational paradigm that has essentially existed for the last 100 years. Since 2001, the ARTC has been following the modern developments in train control technology and has formed the view that the next generation of train management technology is a key enabler in the development of its capability to meet future demand. From the outset the ARTC identified five basic principles upon which it would base its choice of a suitable train control technology. These principles are that the technology must: Be supported by a robust, reliable, digital communications backbone;

 Be reliant on minimal field based infrastructure; Have open systems architecture; Be flexible and scalable; and Be able to support the operation of trains at safe braking distance intervals rather than by the traditional fixed block method of train working. The ARTC believes ATMS offers a means of meeting the challenge presented to the ARTC and the Australian rail industry. It is a more cost effective and efficient way of creating saleable train paths and reliably operating trains on shorter safe headways, rather than the traditional practices of adding to, modifying or replacing existing systems. ATMS will provide the ARTC with enhanced visibility into its rail network operations, reduce its life cycle costs of maintaining trackside signalling systems and increase the ARTCs capacity to move freight across its network. The system will not rely on various disparate forms of safe working and track-side signalling methods. ATMS will also improve safety through being able to cross verify and check positions of trains and enable intervention where appropriate. This intervention can be in the form of the computer network control centre reaching into the cab and applying the brakes of the train. Specifically, ATMS will provide: Increased rail capacity through closer train operations; Improved availability and reliability through better on-time performance; Improved efficiency and flexibility in network use; More efficient passing of trains; Increased safety through authority and speed limit enforcement; Additional protection for trackside workers Operator savings through less fuel consumption, less wear of wheels and brakes; and Reduced operation and maintenance cost for trackside infrastructure. To achieve the capability improvements, ATMS will: Replace trackside signalling with in-locomotive displays of authorities to drivers. This will provide the train driver with increased situational awareness of: The exact position of the train (front and rear); Authorities that must be followed; and Proximity of other trains on the network (front and rear) and trackside workers. Provide new digital network control centres arming the network controller with more accurate information and more powerful tools to control the network; Provide a back up capability in the event of failure at one control centre; Provide enforcement of authorities on each locomotive if a train is at risk of exceeding its authority; Provide automatic switch settings and computer controlled route clearances; and Provide information (voice and data) to all locomotives via the Telstra NextG National Network.

Figure 1: ATMS architecture

ATMS will use an in-cab display for electronically issued movement authorities via a high reliability, secure, digital communication network with predictive enforcement to assure compliance with all conditions of an authority. Network Control System (NCS) This subsystem will provide an interface to the Network Controller to perform operations across the ATMS Network. It will allow the Network Controller to monitor the state of all trains and trackside devices, plan train movements, set routes by remotely controlling switches, monitor and protect track workers, and track the progress of trains through the network. Train Control System (TCS) This is a non-vital element in the NCS facility providing the graphical user interface to the Network Controllers. TCS proposes all Network Controller requests to the Authority Management System. While it can perform some checking of the requests it does so in a nonsafety critical manner. Authority Management System (AMS) This is the centralised server in the NCS facility and is the element which monitors and manages the network of enabled trains. All communications with the other systems is via the AMS. The AMS is responsible for ensuring that all Network Controller requests (passed via TCS) are safe these checks are safety-critical. The AMS is considered a safety-critical/vital system. Communications System This non-vital element provides the wireless interface between AMS/Trainborne and AMS/Trackside systems. This element is provided by Telstra. Trainborne System This vital subsystem resides on the controlling locomotive of a train and provides an interface to the train driver, providing operational capability to the train and enforcing the train movement authority if it is at risk of exceeding its authority or speed limit. Location Determination System (LDS) This element is primarily responsible for providing location reports to the Train-borne system. The LDS uses GPS inputs, the track database and train-borne inputs (such as inertial sensors) to determine the precise location of the locomotive. Train-borne This element maintains safety in train control and relays information from the AMS and Network Controllers to the train driver. It provides a graphical user interface to the driver and is responsible for enforcing train control if the driver exceeds (or is projected to exceed) the speed limit or limits of authority. Trackside System This vital subsystem monitors and controls all trackside devices (switches and track circuits). Trackside Interface Unit (TIU) This element monitors and controls trackside devices and interfaces with the AMS. CONCLUSION ATMS is designed to support the ARTCs objectives of improving rail network capacity, operational flexibility, train service availability, transit times, rail safety and system reliability and will provide for significantly upgraded capabilities to the rail industry of Australia. The system will: Replace trackside signalling with in-locomotive displays of authorities to drivers. Provide precise location of trains both front and rear. Provide new digital network control centres, each capable of controlling all traffic on the ARTC national network. Provide a back up capability in the event of failure at one control centre. Provide enforcement of authorities on each locomotive if a train is at risk of exceeding its authority. Provide switch settings and automatic route clearances. Provide information (voice and data) to all locomotives via the Telstra 3G National Network. When ATMS is fully operational it will provide: Increased rail capacity through closer train operation. Improved reliability through better on-time performance. Improved efficiency and flexibility of the rail network. Increased safety through authority and speed limit enforcement. Additional protection for trackside workers.

 Operator savings through less fuel consumption, less wear of wheels and brakes, and fewer train crew hours. Reduced operation and maintenance cost for the trackside infrastructure. The Proof of Concept Phase is now underway and will be completed in about 3 years. Subject to successful proving, the ARTC will consider a rollout of the full system over its 10,000 kilometre rail network. A detailed roll-out strategy will be developed during the Proof of Concept Phase with the roll-out likely to be staged and to take a number of years. For further information on ATMS readers are invited to visit the ATMS website via www.ARTC.com.au.