European system of control of the trains

The European system of control of the trains (in summary ETCS , initials of European Train Control System ) is a component of the ERTMS which is designed in the long term to replace the great number of systems of repetition of the signals and Signalisation in cabin currently used on the various European railway networks .

This system must allow a fast passage of the borders while guaranteeing the safety of circulations. Its transposition is envisaged in a first phase on the lines at high speed and longer-term on the whole of the traditional network. Since 2000, it is tested on lines of the Swiss federal Railroads (CF), Deutsche Bahn (Germany), ÖBB (Austria) and others.

History

To guarantee a sure circulation of the trains and without obstacle, of the safety and control devices are necessary. In Europe, 23 systems, mutually incompatible, were installed with the wire of time, in general on a national basis.

To be able to cross the borders, the towing vehicles must thus be equipped with one, even several protective systems of the trains compatible with the regulations in the crossed countries.

That results in a overcost of equipment of the engines, and if it is not the case, by the need for changing engine to the Gare border, solution expensive and penalizing for the times of routing.

Thus the oars Thalys PBKA, in addition to which they are equipped with a system of traction quadritension, are equipped for all the systems of indication met on the traversed lines:

KVB (France),
TVM 430 (lines at high speed of France and Belgium),
TBL (Belgium)
ATB (Netherlands)
LZB (network ICE) and Indusi (Germany).

It is the will to reduce times and of the costs of passage in border and to lower the loads of investments by creation on a European scale of a market of the protective systems of the trains which is in the beginning, the beginning of the year 1990, of the concept of a uniform system of protection of the trains.

System ETCS was developed since 1996 on the basis of directive 96/48 of the European Union concerning the interworking of the railway system transeuropéen at high speed, while resting, for the level 2 and future level 3, on the communication system radio operator GSM-R ( total system for mobile communication - Railways ).

The International union of the railroads (UIC) had made work out the first specifications for the development of the ETCS by the European Institut of railway research (ERRI). The technical specifications were studied in parallel, then approved, by the users (railway companies gathered within the Groupe of the users of the ERTMS) and by the manufacturers of systems of indication gathered within Unisig. Since 1999, the ETCS is tested by several railway companies.

Objectives of the ETCS

The introduction of the ETCS must not only simplify the control of the trains and make more intelligent and surer the indication, but also:

to reduce the loads of investments and maintenance of the fixed installations (for example, the signals),
to replace the various national systems of automatic protection of the trains in transport at high speed, and as follows:

to allow the interworking European lines at high speed,
to increase the capacity of the lines,
to improve the mean velocity of transport.

Three different levels

Level 1

Level 1 can be installed in parallel of the system of national. Thus each machine will use the system with which it is provided, which avoids costs of levelling.

This level does not use the radio (GSM-R) to communicate its position or to receive the actions to be carried out. Thus transmitters (Eurobalise S) are placed regularly in the way and communicate the data of indication to the train.

Level 1 need the use of a system of detection of the trains on the ground (such as circuits track).

All this information can thus be transmitted only punctually to the train, thus to be able to transmit information in a more regular way, it is possible to increase the number of beacons, or to install a loop ( euroloop ), equivalent of a beacon but skirting the line at a certain distance.

Level 2

Like level 1, level 2 can be used in superposition with the existing system, whether it is on traditional line or line at high speed.

It also always requires the use of a system of detection of the trains on the ground, which can, on a line with great traffic, to limit the number of trains circulating on this one.

On the other hand, the data of indication are not transmitted any more by the eurobalises (or of the loops euroloops ), i.e. punctually, but via the network GSM-R, which returns the installation of this one obligatoire.
Via this network, the train constantly communicates its position (that it determines with a Odomètre) at the control center which communicates to him in return the actions to carry out (speed, stop,…).
eurobalises are always present on the way, but are used here only to readjust embarked odometry.

On TGV POS, the odotachymetry was thus protected (3 velocity measurements using of the different physical principles, one in end of axle and two others by DOPPLER radars).

Level 3

Level 3 is always in phase of development (2007).

In this level, one abolishes the detection of the trains by systems on the ground: the occupation of the way is determined by the convoy itself, and is transmitted to the control center. One must thus develop a reliable method of control of the integrity of convoy.

As for level 2, of the eurobalises are present on the way so as to readjust embarked odometry.

Higher system: the ERTMS

ERTMS (European Rail Traffic System Management) which includes/understands

the communication system ground-train (and humdrum routine (S)) GSM-R based on the standards GSM.
the European system of control of the trains ETCS.

Implementation of the ETCS

The first tests of the ETCS according to the specification of UIC were carried out successfully as from November 1999 on the international line Vienna - Budapest.

Thereafter, of the experiments are carried out on the following lines:

2000: FS, Florence-Campo di Marte - Arezzo (ETCS level 1);
2000: the SNCF, Marles-in-Brie - Tournan (ETCS level 1);
2001: ÖBB, Vienna - Nickelsdorf (ETCS level 1);
2002: CF, Zofingen - Sempach (ETCS level 2): after the phase of tests, the line since then summer dismantled and repourvue of conventional external indication;
2004: CF, Mattstetten-Rothrist (NBS) and Solothurn-Wanzwil (ABS) Mattstetten - Rothrist (the starting planned for December 2005 of ETCS level 2 was deferred in April 2007): since August 2007, the trains run in ETCS level 2 to 200 km/h on this section;
2005: DBAG, Market (Saale)/Leipzig - Jüterbog - Berlin (ETCS level 2);
2006, May: Renfe, Madrid - Lleida (ETCS level 1; first commercial application for 250 km/h)
2006, October: Renfe, Madrid - Lleida (ETCS level 1; 280 km/h)
2007, February: Renfe, Madrid - Lleida (ETCS level 1; 300 km/h)
2007: BLS, basic Tunnel of Lötschberg (ETCS level 2, control device)
2007: the SNCF, LGV Is, (ETCS level 2; 320 km/h - cohabitation with TVM 430).

Other experiments are in preparation also in France, in Italy, in Spain, in the Netherlands, in Great Britain, in Belgium, in Luxembourg and in Hungary.

According to estimates of dB AG, the deployment of the ETCS on a European scale will ask from 15 to 20 years.

The estimated cost is of 8 billion euros approximately, including 500 million for only Germany.

See too

External bonds

Project ERTMS/GSM-R of UIC
Example of equipment in Luxembourg
the ETCS on the site of [[CF]] the
Web Trains: Positive assessment for the ETCS with the CF
http://www.homepages.hetnet.nl/~marctiny/etcs.html
http://ertms.uic.asso.fr/2_etcs.html
http://www.etcs.hu/
Photographs of the infrastructure CF drawn from the site www.photos-trains.ch

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