jimbo
Posts: 1,913
Member is Online
|
Post by jimbo on Jun 16, 2024 21:43:49 GMT
This seems to suggest that information at the line control centre cannot be relied upon by staff there to make decisions concerning the safe running of the railway.
|
|
gefw
Gone - but still interested
Posts: 201
|
Post by gefw on Jun 17, 2024 8:28:33 GMT
I would make the following comments: The info provided on the central control system is normally pretty accurate, comprehensive and enables supervision of the Central line Train movements. The experience and attentiveness of the control room staff (plus system warnings) will normally quickly highlight a problem (eg a train stationary for a while or spurious signal info /failure). When problems occur the control staff establish what info they have and can rely on & what other actions (including info gathering) they need to undertake (eg by Radio) - this is where teamwork, Skills, knowledge & experience and staff numbers come in. In this failure case, this would almost certainly have included instruction/authorising Train Ops to proceed in RM through the area(s) affected by the track circuit failing in occupied state. One of the functions of signalling design is to keep trains a safe braking distance apart, but if a train stops, this will allow following trains to "block back" quite close to each other (often in the tunnel). Over the years, safety concerns have quite rightly been highlighted associated with trains stopped/blocking back for extended time in tunnels. So when a problem occurs which hinders automatic and smooth train movements, it is pretty standard Operational practice to hold trains in the next platform they reach until there is confidence they can reach the next platform (eg station to station working). This sort of safety supervision is performed Manually on most lines - I heard some new constraints/rules were incorporated in the Eliz line control functionality (but constrains the TPH) but not heard of any new design/requirements for other lines.
|
|
Tom
Administrator
Signalfel?
Posts: 4,196
|
Post by Tom on Jun 17, 2024 18:16:25 GMT
This seems to suggest that information at the line control centre cannot be relied upon by staff there to make decisions concerning the safe running of the railway. It's always been the case that control room indications are non-vital - right back to the opening of Earl's Court control room in 1965, and possibly even before then. The Traffic Circular Supplements made it clear that the indications in the central control rooms were just that - indications - rather than vital functions.
|
|
|
Post by aslefshrugged on Jun 18, 2024 8:29:05 GMT
This seems to suggest that information at the line control centre cannot be relied upon by staff there to make decisions concerning the safe running of the railway. A train being held on a platform is very safe
|
|