Positioning by Satellite in the Railways of Britain

1
Positioning by Satellite in the Railways of
Britain

• Professor Frank Kelly FRS
• Chief Scientific Adviser
• Department for Transport

2
The European Commission is tasked to implement
an aggressive strategy aiming at maximising the
potential revenues from GALILEO. We can expect
to see satellite navigation featuring in many new
areas as applications are developed and
legislation is framed to take advantage of the
opportunities that are presented.
3
GALILEO Basic Services

• An open service, free to receive at the point of
  use
• An added value commercial service where it is
  important
• to have a guarantee of service
• A safety-of-life service, certifiable for
  safety-critical
• applications, such as railway signalling
• A public regulated service, that will be
  encrypted for use by
• approved government organisations in countries
  that require
• such a service and
• A search and rescue service.

4
2005 is a turning-point for GALILEO

• Moving from design and experimental phases to the
  beginnings of deployment and full operation.
• During 2005 we should see
• The launch of the first, British-built satellite
• The start of In-Orbit Validation
• The signing of a contract for the deployment
• and operation of the rest of the 30 satellites.

5
The UK is fully committed to Galileo and we stand
to gain a great deal from it

• UK experts have been at the forefront in
  developing
• the innovative signals that will be transmitted
• the satellite hardware and software
• UK research facilities are already preparing for
  the increased opportunities
• And the UK has a large number of companies with
  the capability to profit from GALILEO

6
Railways are complex, interactive systems

• With long life, high cost capital assets
• Needing public funding
• Trying to respond to increasingly rapid change
• And more flexible competitors

7
The competition

• In the aviation industry (since 1997)
• Air Traffic Control delays down approximately 50
  
• Fares reduced by 50
• In the motor industry (since 1988)
• Fuel efficiency up by 27
• In-class power outputs up by 20
• Reliability improved threefold
• Maintenance intervals increased threefold
• Maintenance demand reduced by 50
• Retail Prices reduced by 30 in real terms
• Environmental emissions reduced by 50 in last 10
  years

8
Current state

• Dumb trains
• Imprecise knowledge of train position
• High level of infrastructure equipment (track
  circuits, visual signals
• Movement logic hard wired into the network
  configuration
• Limited capability for intelligent management of
  train movements
• Rigid inflexible network

9
Railways Impact of Technology
Reliability??
Higher Capital Cost
Less Manpower Intensive
More Complex at System Subsystem Level
Improved Safety
Less Flexible
10
Safety culture combined with technology has made
railway change processes more and more complex
11
Conceptually, systems such as ERTMS Level 2 are
overlays on existing technology
Control Centre
Controls and Indications
Fixed rules in interlocking
RBC
GSM-R MSC/BSC
Interlocking
Track based train detection
Position Information
Aspect and Route data
GSM-R Radio
Movement Authority
TCS Vital Computer
BTS
TCS
Train detection
MMI
BaliseAntenna
Odometer
Balise
Train tracks its relative position
12
Vision of a more cost-effective railway

• Intelligent trains
• Accurate knowledge of train location
• Minimised infrastructure equipment
• Increased flexibility
• Efficient management of train paths through the
  network

13
Could GNSS be the transforming technology?

• Reducing capital and operating cost
• Reducing system level complexity
• Making the system more flexible, easier to change
  and easier to manage
• Further increasing safety (reduction in
  trackworkers)
• Increasing reliability