Sep Oct 2007

Issue 33

Upgraded Supervisory and Control System

brings Operational & Maintenance Benefits
to Glasgow Subway
by Ed. Gerrard CEng. (Hyder), David Chaffe and Watson Peat CEng. (SPT)

Introduction to the US&CS Project

The new US&CS system is based on the following:

BACKGROUND - GLASGOW SUBWAY

z

The existing Signalling and Traction Control

Glasgow Subway carries more than 13 million passengers a year and is vital to the transport

functionality is provided by the new system in

infrastructure of Glasgow. Opened in 1896 the Subway has undergone several modernisations during its

an

existence, the last major one being completed in 1980.

enhanced

The Subway was re-signalled in 1996 (IRSE News article E J Gerrard September 1997) and at that

manner

features

although
in

the

there

new

are

railway

applications package (Ebiscreen). Le. Event

time the traditional signalling central control panel was changed to a central VDU system.
The Subway comprises Broomloan Depot and single inner and outer loop tunnels with a route length

identical

and Alarm handling etc.;

z

The Ebiscreen Applications Package is not a

of 10.4 km, along which are located 15 Stations. A Vital Processor Interlocking (VPI) provides full route

new development to the UK railway industry

setting and lo(;king facilities with individual control and indication of all points, signals, trainstops and

and is a well-tried and proven package. It is

track circuits within the Depot and five immediately adjacent Stations. Automatic track circuit block

currently being used in the UK as the

signalling is provided for the remaining ten Station areas with signals, trainstops and track circuit

operational control package for Manchester

indications fed back for display at the Control Centre via the appropriate Remote Telemetry Units

Metro and Nottingham Light Rail, and now also

(RTU's). The Supervisory and Control System (S&OS) provides central control and supervision of

the Waterloo and City line on the LU network;

z

Subway operations from the Control Centre located at Broomloan Depot.

The new US&CS system is classed as a non-

The S&CS provides Traffic Management System (TMS) and traction Supervisory Control & Data

vital system where reliability / availability is the

Acquisition (SCADA) functionality. Hardware consists of a duplicated Local Area Network (LAN)

important operational feature. A dual hot-

connecting the duplicated TMS/SCADA Servers With the shared system-wide data transmission system

standby computer arrangement is provided

for conveying controls and indications to and from the remote sites (Stations and Traction Sub Stations).

similar to the previous system. The Ebiscreen

The Control room is furnished with two custom built desks to accommodate the dual Operator Work

system is SIL Level 0, but the ongoing design

Stations (each with 3 off VDUs) and communications equipment necessary to control the entire Subway

principles/procedures

operation. An additional workstation is provided for the Linesman in the central equipment room. A Retro

Software

Projection Soft Mimic is provided to display an overview of the entire railway operation. Around the mimic

development procedures. The system and

are Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) monitors, one monitor for each station, cameras for the station

installation conform to standards applicable for

monitor being selectable from the operator's workstation. A Network Gateway is provided to allow

for

based

on

the

Ebiscreen

SIL

Level

Electro-Magnetic Compatibility immunity;

z

Glasgow Subway managers to access the S&CS for operational information.

are

The new US&CS interfaces with the existing

Control Centre Equipment, particularly the Vital

Due to obsolescence of the existing (S&CS) computer hardware, lack of support for the operating
system (UNIX) and the railways control applications package (Ebicos), Bombardier Transportation (BT)

Processor

was not in a position to upgrade "Ebicos" functionality and had withdrawn development support for this

Telemetry, CCTV and existing Control Centre

(VPI),

TEML41

overview back projection display;

product. In view of this, Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT)-Glasgow Subway decided that it would
be prudent to replace the existing S&CS as soon as possible. The Upgraded Supervisory and Control

Interlocking

New Flat screen TFT monitors are provided

System (US&CS) contract awarded to Bombardier Transportation (BT) provided for replacement and

with the Ebiscreen operator workstations. From

upgrading of the Subway's existing S&CS functionality. As core to the US&CS, it was mandatory that it

the workstation the operator has all the

would provide the same functionality of the existing S&CS, as a base requirement, and then be able to

necessary basic and advanced monitoring and

introduce upgrade enhancements. The major upgrades to the system are the provision of a Customer

control facilities. The Human-Machine Interface

Information System, Track Circuit Condition Monitoring and Timetable/Headway Regulation.

was considered in depth in 1996 and no

It was decided to split the project into two parts; the first part Stage 1 was to commission the US&CS

changes were necessary as the only hardware

with the same functionality as provided by the Ebicos package. Stage 2 would then integrate the major

change to the operator was the change from a

CRT VDU to a TFT VDU.

enhancements as outlined in this article.

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Major enhancements undertaken:
z

Implementation of a Customer Information

system

(CIS)

that

provides

service

Improved system hardware diagnostics for

a more rapid analysis of maintenance

performance information to assist the

problems;

expectancy

and

delays.

Station

of

the

time with the GPS clock system;

implemented using tried and tested design and

commissioning

methodologies.

Fully

documented records of design reviews and

other

A Timetable and Train Regulation function

In

each

testing methodologies with configuration and

is included in the control package to assist

Stationmaster's office a VDU Screen has

version control were mandatory.

the control operatives in operating the

been provided so the Stationmaster may

In the 'Factory' a test bed was set up to

train timetable/ headway spacing in a

monitor the position of trains around the

develop and test the replacement Ebiscreen

more efficient manner;

System; this consisted of partial simulation. The

information.

two circles and any Station Alarms

through the Web browser;
z

Schematic and the Interfaces to other existing

and

miscellaneous

service

Figure 1 (below) shows the Hardware System

systems and the interfaces were developed and

Synchronisation of the Subway System

Concourse Displays that announce the

state

System Interfaces and

Implementation

and new Functional Equipment/Systems. These

passenger. The CIS comprises Station

Platform Displays to annunciate train

NEWS

major task was to ensure that the existing Inputs

z

Under this project SPT also took the

and Outputs to the existing Ebicos were

opportunity

power

A track circuit health monitoring system

compatible with the new Ebiscreen package.

supplies to the TEML 41 Traction remote

(HMU) for the existing TI21 TC's was

This was achieved by running the two packages

units/cubicles (RTUs), and also refurbish

installed and commissioned to provide

on separate servers and checking that an

the 650V signalling supply distribution.

individual function I/O activated the identical

to

early warning of potential track circuit

failure.

Information

maintenance

is

technicians

available

to

through

the

reinforce

the

display/action

in

both

packages.

When

Bombardier was ready, the client undertook a

Factory Acceptance Test and confirmed that it

Ebiscreen system for analysis;

was

acceptable

to

proceed

to

site

Implementation.

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The Ebiscreen Workstation equipment for

signalling functions and traction control functions

final system configuration and test was set up in

were tested. From the tests a few minor issues

a Portacabin with the new servers approximately

needed resolution but

50 metres away in the Central Equipment room.

none that would inhibit the commissioning of the

Traffic Management System

(TMS)/Scada System
(Ebiscreen Package)

Bombardier devised a simple but very effective

US&CS in service operation. From the SAT to

The EBISCREEN Package provides all the

philosophy for the on site testing; they data

the

expected functionality required of a modern

tapped (eavesdropped) the existing operational

Functionality) there was a short interval in which

Traffic

system status & inputs from the TEML41 Master

the SPT application to HMRI was made to

package. All the detailed indication and control

Controller to the S&CS Ebicos and passed them

commission, minor defects were corrected, but

facilities are too numerous to describe in full

on to the US&CS Ebiscreen under test in

more importantly the Glasgow Subway operators

detail in an article of this size, it will be sufficient

parallel. It was physically impossible to make

were trained on the new Ebiscreen operating

to say that it performs completely the operational

commands to the operational equipment (Ebicos)

practices. When the minor defects had been

expectations of a modern traffic management

from the US&CS under test. This technique

corrected they were officially tested and shown

system and supervisory package. To mention a

allowed the on line verification of the majority of

to

then

few the typical indications are track circuit status,

the status indications during service hours with

commissioned

passenger

route status, signal status, point status etc.

no impact on service operations.

service on a Sunday morning. Although minor

Commands:

problems were encountered there were no show

replacement, set/remove blocking, collars etc.

stoppers; any minor deficiencies were logged for

Any completed operator action is registered in

later correction.

the

Whilst the 'Data Tapping' allowed verification

of the majority of US&CS indication functions, in

commissioning

be

acceptable;
for

of

the

Stage

US&CS

beginning

of

(Existing

was

Management

event

System

include

log,

as

Train

is

any

(TMS)/SCADA

routing,

alarm

Signal

that

is

order to verify 100% of indications and the

The Contractors commissioning team were

annunciated. Of note to mention though are a

control functions, the US&CS was required to be

then on Standby for the next two days to handle

couple of features that were enhancements on

connected in a controlling capacity. To enable

any queries that arose. Unsurprisingly, because

the previous TMS system. A new TMS railway

the new US&CS control functions to operate the

of the meticulous preparation and testing the

administration regime for the operation of the

TEML41 Master Telemetry Controller software

Stage 1 US&CS operating regime went into

system was developed. The concept is first to

needed to be modified. To avoid the necessity of

service and was smoothly accepted by the

define operational roles such as Controller, Asst

changing EPROMS in the 'Master Controller' on

Controllers.

Controller, Lineman, Traction Controller, and

each changeover, a 'Test Master Controller' was

Timetable

built which contained identical module quantities,

allocated to each role, and within each role

but with modified software to allow full US&CS

operator privileges that define the role are made

control functionality. In all other respects the Test

available

Master Controller software was identical to the

responsibilities of that role. All SPT operational

operational

personnel have a unique personal password t6

Master

controller.

System

changeover was therefore affected by changing

undertake

the Communications and I/O connections from

package

Editor

etc.

depending

their

Responsibilities

upon

operational

the

role.

were

operator

further

the Master Controller to the Test Master

Controller. Bombardier effectively engineered the
over and back connections to efficiently change
from the existing Ebicos S&CS to the Ebiscreen
US&CS and back. The changeover testing only
took place during engineering hours under strict
possession and safety procedures. No service
disruption was caused with this changeover
testing and the Subway opened on time every
morning.
When Bombardier were satisfied that the
US&CS was capable of being commissioned
they presented the system for a client Site
Acceptance

Test

(SAT).

Firstly,

their

test

documentation was reviewed and, being in order,

a date was set for a SAT weekend. On this
weekend a total possession,was taken of the
Subway and a Test Train organised. From the
Central Control room all the existing

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SepOct 2007

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Sep-Oct 2007

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Agenda
enhancement is the ability to 'Playback' system alarms/events and operator commands for later viewing,
this was found to be especially useful during the testing phase and no doubt will be useful in incident
analysis for analysing a sequence of operational events.

NEWS

Customer Information System

(CIS)
A

customer

information

system

(CIS)

for

passengers on the real time state of the subway

operation is an improvement that SPT have
taken the opportunity to provide through the new
Ebiscreen US&CS Package. At the Central
Control

room

there

is

dedicated

CIS

workstation for operation of CIS at busy periods;

otherwise

the

Controller

or

the

Assistant

Controller will operate the CIS. There are three

modes of operation for the control of the
customer displays:
Manual: Automatic operation is disabled,
generation of passenger information is under
operator control;
Timetable based: Information is automatically
generated

according

to

the

operational

timetable without the need for train events;

Event

based:

Passenger

information

is

automatically generated according to the

operational timetable and train running events.
Over the past two years SPT have upgraded their Tunnel Emergency System from a conventional

The Event based mode is the main control for

short circuit of two bare wires, which switches off the Traction Power, and at the same time provides

the CIS displays for the Glasgow Subway.

an extra communications link with central control. The impetus for the change was the unreliability
of the two wire system, and consequential disruption, due to the corrosion of the wires in a harsh

Infotec LED CIS displays are provided at the

environment. This has been replaced with a SIL level 2 "Pressline" system which is an insulated

Concourse and Platform levels. At each Station,

cable whose resistance may be changed by mechanical pressure. Mechanical movement of the

a Station Masters VDU allows the Station Master

cable by the driver causes the traction to be switched off in an emergency. This new system known

to see what is shown on the CIS displays, a train

as TETS (Traction Emergency Trip System) required a new US&CS interface, plus new screen

service overview and in addition provides station

mimics so that all sections of the Tunnels could be monitored to indicate where the TETS had been

alarms and equipment status (escalators, pumps

operated. The controller has the ability to reset the TETS and reconnect breakers to bring the

etc). The Concourse displays inform passengers

traction power on from the Section Sub Stations; this is only undertaken under strict operating rules.

regarding the overall train operation and also

In addition the Controller may Test Trip any section of the TETS and then reset and re-connect the

allow other visual passenger announcements.

appropriate breakers.

The

displays

on

the

platform

inform

the

passenger of the time to wait for the next train,

and

also

allow

public

visual

passenger

announcements in times of emergency.

During

normal

operation

Platform

CIS

messages are generated automatically based on

train

location,

regulation.

The

timetable
CIS

or

displays

set
are

headway
directly

addressed by the US&CS from central Control

via dual Ethernet connections over an existing
Optical Transmission Network (OTN). At the
Station a CIS terminal server distributes the
messages to the appropriate display with RS485
using

CAT5e

cable.

test

display

arrangement, including all hardware for one

station was set up in the Bombardier test facility,
so that the full range of service and information

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messages could be proven without confusing

Figure 5

passengers. The communications to displays

Concourse Display

installed at stations was disabled during this test

process. Train arrival information for each station
is also displayed on an Ebiscreen TMS page.
Using a test workstation displaying this page, the

Figure 6

interaction between the train service and the

Platform Display

Timetable / TD and the next train arrival time was

verified to be accurate, including the interaction
with non-service trains, (engineering etc.). A
series of CIS SAT's were then carried out to

such as 'picked high warning/alarm' and 'picked

ensure that CIS message met expectations.

low warning/alarm' are set for the TC;

When this had been confirmed as correct the

and for occupied TC's RX input current is still

CIS system was commissioned in service for the

measured and a threshold limit 'dropped high

public.

warning/alarm' set for the TC.

Whilst the main user is the SPT maintenance
are available via the web server on the Gateway

Automatic Timetable/Headway
Regulation

PC to the SPT WAN.

The

department the instantaneous measurements

TI21 Track Circuit Condition

Monitoring

purpose

of

the

SPT

automatic

train

Therefore any PC with a web browser

regulation package is to run trains according to

TI21 Track circuits were installed during the

connected to the SPT WAN is able to display the

the timetable where applicable and in perturbed

Centenary Re-signalling project in 1996 and

track

information.

circumstances to get trains to run to a regular

have performed satisfactorily for the conditions

Communications to the HMU is RS232 between

headway. In the case of Glasgow Subway the

experienced in the Glasgow Subway tunnels.

the HMU and a local terminal server.

service normally runs to a set timetable service.

circuit

monitoring

seven

The HMU server is connected to the

In the case of a severe service disruption, e.g.

sections out of the fifteen, may be classed as

Ethernet Switch fitted as part of the CIS

where a train is unavailable, the Controller may

damp. This is a variable depending upon the

equipment that uses a dual port terminal in the

decide on a Headway regulation strategy. This

time of the year. This leads to variability of the

same IP range as the CIS equipment to

allows the Controller to set an achievable

non-occupied shunt across the rails particularly

communicate via the Station Server Node with

headway and the train service will then self

in these seven sections. As one will appreciate

the US&CS over the OTN. The US&CS will poll

regulate to the Headway targeted. From this

any track circuit failure results in passenger

the analogue values at a rate of approximately

position the operator may require to inject a

disruption so a system that anticipates potential

once per minute. Whilst the system has only

reserve train from the Depot. With the Regulation

failures will be a major asset in the running of the

been commissioned for a few weeks it is credited

tool provided, the Controller is able to bring the

railway. 8T has developed a "Health Monitoring

to have alerted technicians to at least two

service into synchronisation with the Timetable.

Unit" (HMU) that will continuously measure a TI's

potential track circuit failure possibilities and they

For normal timetable operation the strategy

track circuit's important parameters; these are

have been adjusted before in service failure

aims to recover from a small perturbation without

collected by the US&CS and stored in a

occurs. Only over a longer period is it expected

disruption to the predefined timetable. The daily

database. The US&CS may then display the

to show a significant operational benefit from this

timetable is planned to accommodate small

parameters in an overview screen in tabular form

TC condition monitoring system.

expected disturbances from which the

However

the

tunnels,

especially

in

or as trends. In seven stations it was decided to

install permanent HMU installations and at the
other eight stations to install the capability to
monitor the remaining track circuits by using a
portable HMU with the same facility and
functionality as the permanent installations.
The analogue values that are measured are
the receiver input current when the TC's are both
unoccupied and occupied. For each monitored
track it is possible to define threshold limits that
may be set or adjusted through the Ebiscreen

Figure 7

package:
For unoccupied TC's RX input current is
measured and threshold alarm limits

Health Monitoring Unit

(HMU)
Hillhead Tracks

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operation may recover. To assist the driver, two synchronised headwall clocks
in real time inform the driver of any deviations from the timetable. In the event
that the train is early at these Stations the starter signal will be held at stop until
the time table departure time provides a signal go release.
For more severe disturbances caused by track or train failures or possibly
passenger incidents, the Controller has an option to use the headway
regulation application which attempts to maintain a constant headway as much
as possible. The headway application can be selected to operate with a three,
four or five train service and ensures that trains are controlled so they are
spaced evenly. Station departure is adjusted so that passengers are not aware
that regulation is occurring, by holding a train at a station, for say, no longer
than one minute. Individual train graphs for each circle, (Inner and Outer), are
provided to the Controller to display headway and deviation against timetable,
for each train in service at each station..
The acceptance and usage by the Controllers has been very positive. The
key was to demonstrate to the Controllers, by example, the benefits of train
service automatic regulation.
For maintainability on the basis of the qualitative assessment, since the
US&CS equipment resides in the vicinity of the maintenance technicians' offices
and that spare parts are in stores adjacent to the Control room, it is predicted

Reliability, Availability and Maintainability

that repair times for Servers or LANs will be less than one hour. It should be
realised that faults will be apparent as a result of self diagnostics and that

The technical specification laid down stringent targets for Reliability and

US&CS duplication should ensure that railway operation is not disrupted.

Maintainability of the new US&CS. The design has been evaluated to

demonstrate compliance with these targets. The Reliability and availability of
the system has been obtained by a 'Reliability Block Diagram' calculation
software package 'AvSim 8'. Maintainability was assessed by a qualitative
methodology. In the context of modern railway systems, repair times are
normally dominated by the time taken for staff to reach the fault location or
spare parts to arrive and it is these that have been used in the calculations for
availability and maintainability. Design reviews were held for each major
component of the Project scope, whereby the design was assessed from a
reliability and availability approach, using hard historical performance evidence
and/or predicted performance. The reviews conclusions were modelled in the
AvSim 8 that produced the predicted reliability and availability of the new
US&CS.
Models were designed in reliability block form for the new US&CS which
simulated the Controllers workstations and the dual Ebiscreen Application
servers and interface (LAN etc) with the existing telemetry Master Controller
(TEML 41). This simulation predicts an availability of the new US&CS
equipment supplied being 99.9999%.
In addition to the new US&CS equipment at central control the CIS
equipment was also new so it was required in the contract to predict the
reliability and availability of either the controller sending a message to a
particular display, or the Ebiscreen system requiring to update a display with
the latest service information. The model again predicted 99.9999% availability
for this new CIS upgrade.

Conclusion
Whilst SPT Glasgow Subway is a small railway they are always looking for
equipment and systems that will make the railway safer and more reliable. This
project has been one of many that have been realised in the past five years.
SPT are undertaking projects now in new Ticketing systems and are planning to
implement an integrated communications system based on TETRA. It is
expected that reports will be published in the future in the IRSE NEWS on these

For a more realistic reliability and availability of the total US&CS the
inclusion of the existing TEML 41 Master Controller and Station RTUs needed
to be included in the model. The modelling in the AvSim 8 package showed that
SPT could expect a total availability for the US&CS Control System of 99.987%

projects.
On this project the co-operation between SPT, Bombardier Transportation and
the consultant Hyder has been outstanding with all stakeholders pulling in the
same direction to successfully complete this demanding project with no
disruption to passenger service.

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A Special Railway Journey of a Lifetime

In July 2007, two retired railway engineers from Hong Kong, one permanent way and one signalling, together with their spouses, embarked on a special
railway journey of a lifetime. The time chosen for this tour has a special meaning, marking the first anniversary of opening of the Qingzang Railway
(opened for service on 1 July 2006).
The 12 days tour started from Xining in Qinghai Province , China. The first half of the journey was by road, following the Qingzang Highway
, 1947Km, to Lhasa , Tibet. It took a full 5 days and 4 nights to complete this section, travelling at an average speed of 50Km/h only. After a few days
sightseeing in and around Lhasa, the party returned to Xining by rail. The journey by Qingzang Railway, 1956Km, took only 24 hours.
It was good to travel the route in this manner. The Highway and the Railway run in close proximity to each other for the 1142Km section between Golmud
and Lhasa. Travelling by road, one can easily see many of the railway structures, such as viaducts, embankments, stations, radio transmitters, tunnel
portals on the way. With a bit of luck, one can also spot a few passenger, freight or even engineering works trains. With keen eyes, one can even see the
special installations to stabilize the permafrost trackbed.
The following is a more detailed description of some of the structures and sceneries seen on the way from Golmud, 2828m, to Lhasa, 3641m.
Shortly after leaving Golmud, the track begins to rise continuously towards the first mountain range, Kunlun Mountains .
At about 100Km from Golmud, at an elevation of about 3800m, we meet the first imposing structure of the railway line, Sanchahe Bridge . With a
clear height of 54.1m above the river valley, it is the highest structure of the whole line.
After passing the 4000m contour, we arrive at the station of Yuchufeng , 4159m, with our first view of snowy mountain peaks and glaciers of the Kunlun
Mountains. From here onwards, the railway maintains an elevation of not less than 4000m for 958Km, until it approaches Lhasa.
The railway crosses the Kunlun Mountains by a tunnel, 1686m long, which is the worlds longest tunnel built in permafrost.
About 50Km past the Kunlun tunnel, we arrive at another imposing structure, Qingshuihe Bridge , 11.7Km, the longest bridge of the whole line. The
reason to build such a long bridge over the dry riverbed is to eliminate the effect of permafrost on the trackbed, at the same time allowing wildlife to freely
migrate under the railway.
Another mountain range stands in front, the Fenghuoshan . To cross this mountain range, the railway goes through another tunnel 1338m long at an
elevation of 4905m, the worlds highest railway tunnel.
The next station to pass is of significant importance especially to Chinese people. The Tuotuohe station is built at the source of the Changjiang
(Yangtze River), 4533m. The railway bridge over the river is appropriately called First Bridge on Changjiang.
After the Yangtze River, the railway comes to the highest obstacle on the whole route, the Tanggula Mountains . The station of Tanggulashan, at
5068m, is the highest in the world. The railway crossing the mountain pass at 5072m is definitely the highest railway track in the world.
After the mountain pass, the railway descends a bit but still keeps well above 4500m for some 400Km. On the way it skirts a pristine lake, Cuona Lake
and even has a station by the lakeside, 4594m.
The permanent way depot at Anduo , 4703m, is the worlds highest tracklaying facility.
The first large town since leaving Golmud is Naqu , 818Km away, still at an elevation of 4512m. Here life seems to be more close to civilization, with
stable electricity and water supply and a hospital to treat those suffering from severe altitude sickness.
The railway line starts to descend and approaches Lhasa over an elegant bridge, the Lhasa River Bridge with three white steel arches.
Lhasa Station is a brand new structure with all the modern day facilities.
It is the Chinese Railway Ministrys plan to extend the Tibet railway network by building two more branches, west to Xigaze and east to Linzhi , to
be completed in 5 years.
The author is pleased to share with Institution members and all readers his valuable experience of travelling on the worlds highest railway, and highly
recommends to them to take this Journey of a Lifetime.
By the way, can you pick out how many worlds highest are mentioned in the above article ?

By Charles Lung, FIRSE, Hong Kong

Photo 1

Sanchahe Bridge

Photo 2

Train on Tuotuohe Bridge

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Some Technical and Operational Data of the Qingzang Railway

Total Length : 1956Km (814Km Xining to Golmud, 1142Km Golmud to Lhasa)

Year of Completion : Xining to Golmud in 1984
Golmud to Lhasa in October 2005
New Section Opened for Service : 1 July 2006
New Section Total Investment : 25 billion Yuen
Number of Stations in New Section : 45 of which 38 are unmanned
Section above 4000m : 958Km
Section built on Permafrost : 550Km
Highest Track Level : 5072m at Tanggula Mountain Pass
Bridges total Length : 159.9Km
Tunnels total Length : 9.5Km
Operating Speed : 100-120Km/h

Currently the passenger train services to/from Lhasa are operated as follows :

City
Beijing
Xining
Lanzhou
Shanghai
Guangzhou
Chengdu
Chongqing

Frequency
daily
alternate days
alternate days
alternate days
alternate days
alternate days
alternate days

Sleeper Ticket
1262 Yuen
810 Yuen
854 Yuen
1314 Yuen
1434 Yuen
1104 Yuen
1168 Yuen

Photo 3

Travel Time
about 48 hours
about 26 hours
about 29 hours
about 66 hours
about 66 hours
about 49 hours
about 49 hours

Photo4

Photo 5

Grinder at Work

Double Locomotives ready to take Train out of Lhasa Station

Lhasa Station

Photo 6 Banner in Chinese and Tibetan Languages Celebrating First

Anniversary of Qingzang Railway

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Interesting Signals

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Interesting Signals No.94

Queensland Repeaters
By J D Francis
Australia may be well known for its variety of track gauges but for signal engineers
it also holds the fascination of having a number of different signalling systems,
some of which are based on route signalling principles and some on speed
principles.
Queensland Rail (QR) is one of the administrations th'at employ route
signalling. Indeed the QR system has many similarities with that found on Britain's
Network Rail, including some features that are no longer perpetuated in the UK.
One example is the use of an offset yellow for proceeding towards a track
circuited siding (see Interesting Signals No. 15 in IRSE NEWS NO.47). This said
there are also some minor differences; for example Flashing Yellow, rather than
forming part of a junction aspect sequence, is used to provide the restricted
approach (warner) aspect where a reduced overlap is selected.
Two, three and four aspect signals are used to display a Green, Double
Yellow, Yellow, Red aspect sequence, although outside of the Brisbane suburban
area two and three aspects only are the norm. Where signal spacing and/or
sighting require, two aspect Yellow/Green repeaters are used, the signal
identification number having a P suffix whilst a circular yellow plate, bearing a
black letter P, is added to the post.

In four aspect territory the use of these signals part way along station
platforms can give rise to an aspect sequence of Double Yellow, Green,
Single Yellow, Red at times when the repeater is displaying a Green on the
approach to the Single Yellow beyond or at the platform end.
On bi-directional double lines or where main and loop lines on single
track routes are signalled for both-way running, repeater signals can often be
found adjacent to one another on opposite sides of the line applying to
associated stop signals at braking distance further on. At those locations
where sighting conditions dictate, both repeaters may be mounted together
on a single bracket structure on one side of the line.
Use of Yellow/Green repeaters is not universal. Banner repeaters can
also be found. These operate in the upper quadrant which is interesting
considering that position light shunts and Guard's Repeaters in Queensland
display "off" in the lower quadrant (see Interesting Signals Nos. 70 and 64 in
IRSE NEWS issues 103 and 97). Banners also carry an associated P plate
identical to those on Y/G repeaters.

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Members Corner

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Happy Birthday!
Our best wishes to the following IRSE (HK Section) members.

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Editor Column

IRSE News Letter is published bi-monthly

by Institution of Railway Signal Engineers
. (Hong Kong Section).
All rights reserved. Photocopying or
reproduction in any form without the
written permission of the publisher is
strictly prohibited.
While every effort has been made to
ensure accuracy, no liability is accepted
for errors or omission herein.

The Team Players:

NEWS

To all members:
There has been a change in our Newsletter monthly
publication that we would like to bring to your attention.
That effective July-August `2007 our publication was been
changed to a bi-monthly issue.
I hope that you find the content of this issue more
interesting. Also I would love to hear from you whether
you want to offer suggestions for the future articles or
present feedbacks for the betterment of IRSE (HK
Section) Newsletter. Any comments and ideas are
welcome too.

Myla Pilarta-Li
Francis Hui
KC Lam
Enoch Li
Lawrence Tam
Ground Control:

Myla Pilarta-Li

10/F, MTR Tower,

Telford Plaza, Kowloon Bay,
Hong Kong

Editor

Advertising Info:
Tel: (852) 2993 3264
Fax: (852) 2993 7728
Email: myla@irse.org.hk
Website: http://www.irse.org.hk/

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