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Track Circuit Train Detection Case Study
DeltaRail Rolling Stock Maintenance Case Studies
Automatic Rail Vehicle Inspection SystemXV Maintenance Management Software
Track Circuit Train Detection
Energy Measurement and Modelling
Track Circuit Train Detection
The Project
ProRail commissioned DeltaRail Netherlands to develop an automated trackside system that can measure the track circuit activation performance of passing trains, as well as identifying the type of train that has gone past. The performance of new stock can then be compared with that of existing stock over a monthly average.
Traditionally, train signalling systems use track circuits to determine a train's location. The axles of the train provide a low resistance path between one rail and the other which is detected by trackside electrical relays. The entire network is split up into different track sections and as the train leaves one section and enters the next, it deactivates the one it is leaving and activates the track circuit in the section it has just entered. This enables the signalling system to tell which trains are where and so control the setting of signals and points to avoid collisions.
However, it is not only the design of the vehicle that determines how well the train provides a low resistance path between the rails. Contaminants on the rail head such as rust or leaf residues can have an adverse effect. If the electrical resistance is high enough, the train effectively 'disappears' from the signalling system, increasing the risk of a collision.
Therefore, the ability of a new train to ensure track circuit activation must be verified before new stock can be approved. As conditions vary from day to day this is done by comparing performance against a monthly average rather than a pre-determined limit.
The Benefits
DeltaRail Netherlands new Train detection and Monitoring System (TMS) uses state-of-the-art monitoring equipment to measure over 3700 trains a month and can identify over 20 different types of rolling stock. Data is retrieved four times a day, automatically checked and supplied to ProRail in monthly and specific test run reports that should eventually simplify the admission of new rolling stock onto the network.
