IRSE News 140 Dec 08.pdf

NOVEMBER TECHNICAL PAPER
IRSE
deployed in Great Britain. The focus has
been on considering on-the-day operation,
that is considering the stages between the
finalising of each day’s operational plan
and its post-execution review.
It is perceived that significant
efficiency, performance and capacity
opportunities are available through a
strategic review of operational processes
in combination with technology
advancement. In reality, the opportunities
arise from a shift in our current approach
to traffic management of the network
combined with technological advancement
of in-cab signalling systems and automatic
train operation.
Traffic Management
Traffic management is defined as:
“System & telecommunications based
tools (excluding the safety-critical layer) to
facilitate the on-the-day execution and
optimisation of the plan with the resources
available.”
Through the development of a series of
future scenarios with industry engagement,
the following principles have been
established for future traffic management
systems:
1. Planning is a continuous process;
2. Information should be integrated
and logically stored only once;
3. Information about any aspect of the
service (infrastructure, crew
diagrams, stock diagrams etc.)
should be available in real time;
4. Everyone in the process plans
against a common plan held
centrally;
5. Tools should be predictive and
provide decision support;
6. Information should be delivered in
an enabling format;
7. Customer information and service
information are largely by-products,
delivered as soon as the plan
changes;
8. There should be one-stop-shop
accountability within roles to
minimise verbal communications
and hand-offs;
9. Engineering information should be
available in real time;
10. Possessions should be integrated
with the plan.
In the context of the operating strategy,
when a train is signalled and proceeds it
should be seen as the culmination of years
of planning. Our current approach to
setting routes is based upon outdated
systems, and on the majority of network is
largely a human based decision upon the
information that becomes visibly apparent
in real time. Additionally, currently there
are very few decision making tools
provided in terms of operating the railway.
The principles above, and the systems
supporting them, need to evolve to the
point whereby planning is a continuous
process across the industry, and that
changes and variations of timetables,
network availability or resources are
reflected in real time. Industry decision
making support tools need to be deployed
to improve the ability to deliver the aspired
outputs from the operational railway, i.e.
improved performance and capacity.
Figure 1 illustrates the shift required from
today to the future vision.
Your first stop for
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S&T 2008 Dates*
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Date of
Course:
Course
Title:
02/12/08 High Voltage Impulse Track Circuits
08/12/08 Introduction to Jointing External Telecomms Cable
08/12/08 Solid State Interlocking
08/12/08 Basic Signalling Technology
09/12/08 Signal Works Testing Module 5
11/12/08 Advanced Jointing of External Telecomms Cable
15/12/08 Basic Jointing 5
15/12/08 Intermediate Signalling Control Tables
15/12/08 Intermediate Signalling Technology
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For more information on our open programme or bespoke events, please
call our team on: 0845 880 8108 or email: hotline@catalis.co.uk
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Delivering performance through people
IRSE
NEWS Issue 140 December 2008 3