CENTRALISED CONTROL CENTRE

[onestrangeday]

Hi PJW:

Thanks I see the pros and cons for designing the different types of control centre


William

This is very much the existing London Undergound way of doing things.
Traditionally the interlockings at each site are mechnaically locked lever frames (driving electricaly lit signals, air worked points, trainstops and ground disc signals). Normally operated from a Control Centre via a remote control system that drives the levers by air motors. In extremis the site can be attended and the "air taken off the frame" andd the levers worked directly by a human.
More modern interlockings have followed the same overall approach, with a form of back up local operation facility per site.
The project I am working on however will be providing a back up control centre for the entire line at another site.

On Network Rail there are some place with local panels, but in truth they rarely get used. part of the issue is how long it takes a competent operator to get to site and the rare use made meands people lose their familiarity.
Generally a form of limited control (sometimes just the main lines straight through running) was implemented using a diverse form of remote control from the ssame control centre, this called "override" or "through routes" or "auto working" depending on local terminology.

More recently it has been elt more effective to fully duplicate the remote control but to the same signaller position at the same control centre as a form of main / Standby with automatic changeover; this became practicable with reducing cost of electronics etc.

So yes, you are corrrect that a local control facility is a suitable alternative option in many cases, particularly if situated at places where there are staff emplyed on other duties who can rapidly be redeployed to operate it.

Hi PJW:

thanks for your explanation.
For the railway system that I am currently working with, the interlocking is the distributed type as each station has its own interlocking system and control area. In the normal day's train operation, the operation control centre has authority to control the train movements for the whole railway line by using TCS (including ARS system) and we called OCC (operation control centre) MODE, and in the event of major control centre break down, the system will automatically switched to the Local Control (that is each station accordingly), so there would be no impact on the train services overall.
So I think this is another way of providing the function of 'duplicated' control centre, does UK has this type of design for their control centre?
william