Introducing a New

Track Circuit on
British Infrastructure

© Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
IET Railway Safety Assurance
Seminar
Andy Millar
Engineering Manager, RCS Plymouth
3rd July 2014
Contents

1 Case study of the application of a generic safety case to the UK railway

Managing electrical infrastructure compatibility when introducing a new

2

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frequency spectrum

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

3 Planning and executing field trials of a new track circuit system

4 Final thoughts

2
 application of a

to the UK railway
Case study of the

generic safety case

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

© Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.
EBI Track 400 – New equipment, new frequencies (to UK),
new modulation / coding techniques, new application rules

Cubicle equipment Wayside equipment with UK approval

unique to EBI Track 400 for EBI Track 200 (TI21) application

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PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
Wayside equipment new to UK

4 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
Safety Baseline – Metro de Madrid

First installation of EBI Track 400:

 Summer 2010: Desktop / lab safety case.
 Winter 2010: Attended over and back trials in depot

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installation of existing EBI Track equipment.
 Minor updates to condition monitoring and manual.

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

 Autumn 2011:
unattended depot trials.
 Spring 2013:
unrestricted approval
received.

5 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
Project Organisation for NR Acceptance – Lots of holes in
the dotted line for information to pass through!

Bombardier Network Rail

NR Product
ET400
Sponsor
NR Acceptance
D. Weedon
Project Manager

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A Morgan

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

Trials Coordination Project Engineer Safety Engineer Trials Coordination Acceptance
L. Chapman A. Millar C. Mackie D. Bardwell Coordination
S. Walker D. Bardwell

EMC Engineer
Trials Engineer
Y. Bocharnikov
C. James

ISA
R. Brewer

6 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
NR Acceptance Plan (1) – NR specific case required for
system EMC and evidence of site trials

Acceptance Plan (This diagram)

Plan for Assessment

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of immunity Limits Submit to SRP by Test Plan for AC
for Rolling Stock correspondence and DC Areas –
Compatibility Operational Scope

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Calculation of Analysis of Review of
Rx RSF Site Trial Evidence
Transfer Traction Current Compatibility with
Immunity Limits Operational Scope
Function Spectrum NR Infrastructure

Site Trial Critical

Review
(Operational
EMC Acceptance Scope)
Case

Safety Case Safety Case Manuals etc.

7 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
NR Acceptance Plan (2) - Evidence adds UK application
into safety case and develops manuals & training

© Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
8 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
 © Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.
Managing electrical

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

infrastructure
compatibility when
introducing a new
frequency spectrum
The Problem

The first approval of a new track circuit by Network Rail.

 Must demonstrate that it will not be interfered with by NR infrastructure or existing
rolling stock.
 Must demonstrate that it will not interfere with NR infrastructure or existing rolling

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stock.

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NR aim was to produce a generic acceptance to allow installation across the network
(including AC, DC and unelectrified lines).

Accepted at start of process that proof existed that, due to the coding design, the
probability of wrong side failure of EBI Track 400 due to traction interference is
Incredible.

Remaining compatibility proving through desktop assessment, simulation and practical

testing.

10 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
Traction Interference Immunity

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Transfer function through Receiver
Allowable traction
= track interface x sensitivity

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

interference
(simulation, multiple cases) (measured)
Track circuit interference limits for DRTE, TC=50m and FC=0m, 1-track_AC
20
A: 1699
18
4 of 16 track circuit frequencies (E to H) found to B: 2296
16 C: 1996
have sub-optimal sensitivity in some applications. D: 2593
14 E: 1549
Coded nature of EBI Track 400 allows these

Line current limit,A

12 F: 2146
frequencies to be made non-preferred. 10
G: 1848
H: 2445
Results made freely available to allow train 8

compatibility to be assessed. 6

4
Methodology allows future track configurations
2
to be easily assessed.
0
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600 2800 3000
Frequency, Hz

11 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
Rolling Stock Compatibility

Network Rail have responsibility for demonstrating compatibility of new infrastructure with
existing rolling stock.
Susceptibility figures from previous slide provide basis for assessment of compatibility.

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Compatibility demonstration eased by acceptance that wrong side failures of track circuit
through traction interference is Incredible.

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

Bombardier are currently defining simplified models of track circuit performance for use in
NTR and forthcoming CENELEC standard.

NR and Bombardier worked jointly

to address specific concerns from
rolling stock operators.

12 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
Wayside Equipment Compatibility

EBI Track 400 must be compatible with equipment in NR/GN/SIG/50014, plus further
equipment identified by NR, approximately 125 types in total:

Other Track Circuits, Axle Counters and Position Detectors, Interlockings, TPWS, Control

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Panels, Signals, Point Motors, Actuators and Detection, Line Circuits, AWS, Signalling
Circuits, Ground Frame Release, Emergency Signalling Power Supplies, TCAID, ATP

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

Loops / Beacons, ERTMS, Level Crossings, TOWS, Treadles and treadle circuits, Train
Stops, Train Describer Systems, Tripcock Testers, Train Running Away Alarm, Reed FDM,
Telecom Systems, CCTV, station security, Hot axle box detectors, Automatic Vehicle
Identification, Station Information Video Systems, Public Address System, Station Clocks,
Fire Alarm Systems, Wheel impact detector, Business data systems, APC magnets,
Traction supervisory pilots/SCADA systems, Panchex, UPS

Desktop assessment covered approximately 95% of applications, based on expert

knowledge of EBI Track 400 EMC case.
Remaining cases required specific testing based on manufacturers’ specifications, carried
out by EMC consultant on Bombardier test track.
Some installation restrictions applied regarding co-location of equipment.

13 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
 system
Planning and
executing field trials
of a new track circuit

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

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Trial Criteria

Component Under Objectives Success Criteria

Test
EBI Track 400 Track  Stable track  The operation of ET400 equipment is not
Circuit circuit effected by being installed in DC/AC

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traction territory.
 No track circuit fails to detect a train.

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 No Receivers or Transmitters fail within
the test period.
 Track circuit current shall be within 5%.
 Receiver threshold shall be within 1%.
 Receivers shall achieve output voltage
stability within 5%.
 Transmitter output voltage shall be within
5%.
 PSU voltage within 5%.

15 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
Non-electrified Trial – Bere Alston, Devon, installed Feb
2012

Token block with no existing train detection system

so straightforward trial certificate. Single train
shuttles on line.
Local to Bombardier with easy access.

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Good, close, open communications with NR product
acceptance and local maintainer.

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Shared ownership of trials between NR & BT. BT
provided location case and monitored data. NR
funded track works and provided possessions.
Logging via MPEC SA380. Helped MPEC develop
logger for EBI Track 200 & 400.
Ballast was challenging, but seen as a realistic
worst case.
Once track was set up system fully met trial criteria.
Basis for electrified trials.
Still “live” as a local test and demonstration site
with minimal impact on rail network.

16 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
DC Trial – Cosham, installed May 2012

Site chosen for range of (passenger) rolling

stock, including known problem stock.
Axle counter territory.

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Required proof that it would not interfere with
axle counter, installation ensured no overlap
between test wayside equipment and axle

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counter heads.
Used “track circuit cases” for ease of
temporary installation.
Compared with axle counter repeat relays in
logger to confirm trains detected.
Used MPEC logger with GSM link for remote
condition monitoring.
Monitored over 4176 hours, system fully met
trial criteria.

17 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
AC Trial – Rugby, installed Feb 2013

Site chosen for wide range of passenger and

freight stock.
Axle counter territory.

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Minor updates had been made to receiver
SIL0 (monitoring) functionality, so trial was
also used to functionally prove these updates.

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

Compared with axle counter repeat relays in
logger to confirm trains detected.
Intention was to measure interference
currents. Complex bonding made this
unfeasible.
Monitored over 1968 hours, system fully met
trial criteria.

18 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
Summit Tunnel – Trial installed Feb 2012

Non-electrified installation.
Wet tunnel with reed track circuits.
Long feed length of EBI Track 400 gave external

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access for ease of maintenance.
12 hour over and back proving trial (c.f. 7 week

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

axle counter overlay trials), followed by full
installation on line by line basis.
Failure rate reduced from c. 1 per week for reed
track circuits to none for EBI Track 400.

19 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
 Final thoughts

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

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Final Thoughts

Trial certificate for operational use in Summit Tunnel and South Bermondsey (Thameslink)
received August 2013.
Unrestricted NR certificate received 1st February 2014.

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Achieved through:
 Realistic trials without impacting rail network: “The railway is NOT a test bed”

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

 Close, open relationship between Network Rail and Bombardier Transportation.
 Clear acceptance strategy formulated by all parties, kept under continuous review.
 Use of all available expertise, e.g. rolling stock knowledge within Bombardier
Transportation, maintainers’ experience for track trials.
 Pragmatic, flexible approach:
– End goals must be set, clear, understood and agreed by all.
– The route to get to these goals can be adapted as circumstances arise.
Thank you for listening!

[email protected]

21 Introducing a New Track Circuit on British Infrastructure - IET Railway Safety Assurance Seminar
 PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
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