The CTC control panel graphically displays the railway track so that the controller can monitor the location of trains within their area of responsibility. Longer railway lines may have several control centers, and there may also be multiple controllers for each operational division. Control centers are typically located near the busiest parking areas or stations, and their operational capabilities are comparable to those of air traffic control towers. In rail transport, traffic control ensures that trains traveling in opposite directions on the same track cannot pass each other without special infrastructure, such as sidings and switches, that allows one of the trains to move aside. Initially, there were only two ways to manage train interaction: pre-regulating traffic or establishing communication links between the authority responsible for train traffic (the controller) and the trains. Railway companies would give official status to these two control mechanisms in a series of procedures called train running order operation, which was later partially automated through the use of automatic block signaling (ABS).
The project was carried out by a leading Italian civil and network engineering firm, at the forefront of developing innovative services for the telecommunications, transportation, energy, and technology sectors. This company, with 4,000 employees worldwide and an international presence, has undertaken projects on virtually every continent, from Europe to Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. To meet the demands of globalization regarding international presence, it currently also operates in Libya, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
System Requirements:
For the selection of the company awarded the project, our client required compliance with several requirements. The availability of modules with sufficient flexibility to adapt to the different needs and requirements of various locations was one of the requirements regarding ground-based control systems. The use of intrinsically safe modules was fundamental to guarantee the absence of potential failures anywhere in the network. This required state-of-the-art devices that could be programmed quickly using the latest programming languages.
Advantech's proposed solution involved fully integrating its products with the client's control box using the ACEI (Central Electrically Controlled Switching) system. This centralized system controls points, signals, level crossings, switching signals, and everything necessary for the operation of the railway station by sending signals from the monitoring equipment to the ACEI system. These signals are then returned to the control room, where the data is displayed, via APAX modules.
System diagram
Advantages:
The customer installed several APAX and EKI modules in a cabinet next to the ACEI system near each station. Each cabinet contains two separate sets of APAX controllers in a redundant master/slave configuration. The master controller acquires the data, while the slave system remains in standby mode and, in the event of a failure, takes over operation without interruption, ensuring continuous system availability. Advantech's APAX modules have enabled simpler and more reliable commissioning of the peripheral stations. In addition to providing the operator with a simple means of local connection to the station software via a personal computer, they allow monitoring of data exchange and station status. Testing has been performed locally, and the operator can directly verify the accuracy of the field data. As a result, the logic has been simplified. The modules can be hot-swapped, and the system continues operating when a single module is serviced, thus improving the mean time to repair (MTTR). The modularity of APAX has allowed the customer to create different devices for different installations within the same site. This also allows for system expansion and offers the possibility of adding I/O modules for on-site measurements, such as the current generated by a motor (diagnostic data). Software reuse reduces the costs of developing new software with an easy-to-use programming environment and plug-and-play functionality.
Because the APAX system is based on PC logic, it allows the single system configuration to be automatically transmitted to the control room.
Advantech devices, renowned for their high quality and availability, have been used in Italian railway signaling for years, contributing to on-time service. While Advantech's product portfolio enabled our client to select the most suitable architecture for each application, their local presence facilitated collaboration with local engineers to determine the most efficient configuration and ensured a smooth relationship throughout the entire process.
