Rail News Home C&S February 2017 Rail News: C&S TransLink’s SkyTrain extension of the Millennium Line in Vancouver, British Columbia — which opened late last year — features Thales’ SelTrac system.Photo – Thales By
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing EditorA train-control technology that’s been employed in North America for more than 30 years is becoming a bit more high-tech. Categorized as communications-based train control (CBTC), it also is evolving into a signaling option for both passenger and freight railroads.CBTC is an automated system that employs continuous, bidirectional train-to-wayside communications to monitor a train’s location and ensure the safe operation of rail vehicles. It differs from conventional signaling by determining a train’s location independent of track circuits via transponder tags or beacons installed along a wayside.To date, CBTC is employed at a dozen or so passenger railroads and airport trams, while several others in the North American rail industry are considering whether to adopt it.To help more railroads meet today’s demanding operational challenges — including the addition of positive train control (PTC) — several suppliers are trying to enhance their CBTC systems for increasingly complex rail environments. In addition, others are working to develop and market their system for broader rail industry applications.Count
Siemens among those pursuing system enhancements. The radio and Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) aspects of its Trainguard MT CBTC system are maturing to better provide the functionality transit agencies need, says Bill Conis, director of business development for Siemens Mobility.Trainguard MT is designed to operate at different train-control levels, handle trains with different train control equipment at the same time in the same network, and help reduce lifecycle costs by minimizing the number of outdoor elements and maximizing energy efficiency.Since there are growing concerns in the passenger-rail industry about computer hacking, Siemens recommends that transit agencies use a licensed radio band for their CBTC system instead of a proprietary radio — they need to “stay away from public Wi-Fi bands,” Conis says.“I think more agencies in the future will go with a licensed band. It’s not expensive and you don’t need a lot of bandwidth,” he adds. “It’s critical to ensure others won’t hack your system.”In addition, the ATS portion of CBTC now is much more sophisticated, with greater functionality than there was four or five years ago, he says. Recent enhancements include junction and work-zone management, a graphical user interface, and the ability to access a supervisory control and data acquisition system to determine if track is energized or de-energized.New York state of mindIn terms of ongoing CBTC projects, Siemens continues to work on equipment for
MTA New York City Transit’s (NYCT) Queens Boulevard Line (QBL). The transit agency plans to eventually have CBTC systems in place on all of its 24 lines, says NYCT spokesman Kevin Ortiz.Slated to enter service in 2021, the QBL CBTC system will enable the agency to operate more trains per hour on the underground line between Queens and Manhattan and provide more reliable service.Last month,
RailWorks Corp. subsidiary L.K. Comstock & Co. Inc. won a $223.3 million contract to install CBTC, upgrade signals and complete new systems work on the line.Siemens will provide 90 percent of the CBTC equipment for the QBL, with the other 10 percent supplied by
Thales, says Conis.Siemens previously provided the CBTC system for MTA New York City Transit's Canarsie Line. Siemens
“We’re working together to test interoperability,” he says.
About a decade ago, Siemens provided the CBTC system for NYCT’s Canarsie Line. The company continues to count the agency as a customer in addition to pursuing CBTC projects at the Maryland Transit Administration and Bay Area Rapid Transit, which are in procurement phase, says Conis.