DAMMAM-RIYADH SIGNALLING
Posted on 03 July 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
The Saudi Arabian line between the port city of Dammam and the capital, Riyadh, has been equipped with up-to-date signalling and telecommunications systems. Rail operations started on the more than 1,000km of line with this new technology in June 2009. The 449km section built in the 1980s, which is reserved for passenger service, has been equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS) and marks the first-ever use of this technology in the Arab world.
The present Saudi Arabian railway network consists of two lines connecting Dammam with Riyadh. A 556km line for freight traffic was built in the 1950s. The Saudi Railways Organisation (SRO) transports around 850,000 passengers and 850 million metric ton-km of freight per year. In December 2005, a consortium consisting of Siemens and the Saudi Arabian Nour Communications Company received an order from SRO to equip the rail link between the two cities with an automatic train protection system, a GSM Railway (GSM-R) network and a video surveillance system (CCTV) for level crossings. The order was worth around €91 million.
As this order marked the first-ever use of modern automatic train protection systems for signalling-based railway operations in Saudi Arabia, the operating instructions and regulations were drawn up jointly with SRO. This approach enabled standards for the application guidelines and codes for operation of the new railway to be drafted and implemented together with SRO.
Trainguard 100 for ETCS Level 1 is designed by Siemens and is being used as the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. Balises have been set up along the track and a corresponding driver’s cab display fitted in each locomotive. A Driver Machine Interface (DMI) provides the driver with continuous information on the permissible speed and status of the signals on the line ahead. If the prescribed speed is exceeded, the ATP system intervenes automatically.
Failsafe microcomputer system type electronic interlockings have been installed. In addition, there are fifteen CCTV-monitored level crossings. Locomotive drivers, maintenance personnel and station managers can use GSM-R mobile radio technology to communicate with each other throughout the entire railway network. As an improvement on the walkie-talkie system previously used, GSM-R facilitates communication of rail personnel with each other by means of conference sessions, for example, and also ensures a stable communications link that is independent of the weather.
The installed hardware has been adapted to the extreme temperature conditions in Saudi Arabia. For example, the balises have been provided with additional protection against the sun to prevent them from becoming too hot. The signal cabinets have been subjected to intensive temperature tests and designed with double walls for better protection against overheating, while the points machines have been fitted with special housings to prevent the ingress of sand.
The control centre with its four Vicos (Vehicle and Infrastructure Control and Operating System) type control consoles and panorama display wall is located in Dammam and has been equipped to be able to control the entire future railway operations in Saudi Arabia.
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