IRSE News 142 Feb 09.pdf

Implementing the Victoria Line Overlay
Signalling System
by Peter Clifford 1 , Thomas Godfrey 2 , Andy Heath 3 , Richard Roberts 4
Paper to be read in London on 11 February 2009
TECHNICAL PAPER – FEBRUARY
I
n 2003 London Underground
placed a Public Private Partnership
contract with Metronet Rail (MR) for
maintenance of the Bakerloo, Central,
Victoria and Waterloo & City Lines. In
addition this required MR to upgrade the
trains and signalling on the Victoria Line to
achieve improved journey times and
headways. To achieve this requirement,
MR subsequently awarded a contract to
Bombardier Transportation for the supply
of new trains and signalling, the signalling
being sub-contracted to Westinghouse Rail
Systems Limited.
This paper provides an overview of the
“Overlay Signalling System” being provided
under this contract to enable the introduction
of new trains on to the Victoria
Line. It gives an appreciation of both the
legacy signalling system and the new
Distance to Go—Radio signalling system
(DTG-R). We explain some of the
significant challenges that have arisen,
and how team work and good engineering
have been central to their resolution.
The aim is to be both interesting and
informative, particularly for those
engineers involved in similar “brownfield”
re-signalling projects.
The supply chain for delivering the new
trains and signalling for the Victoria Line
upgrade (VLU) Project was modified in
2008 following the integration of MR into
Transport for London. It is now structured
as shown in Figure 1.
In the spirit of the “One Team”
approach, explained later, this paper is coauthored
by representatives from all four
parties in the supply chain.
1. Metronet
2. Bombardier Transportation
3. London Underground
4. Westinghouse Rail Systems
Background
The legacy Victoria Line
Signalling
The existing Victoria Line was opened in
four sections between 1968 and 1972,
the official line opening ceremony being
conducted on 7 March 1969 by Her
Majesty the Queen. The line is just over
13 miles (21 km) long and is formed of
deep-level tube tunnel except for the train
depot at Northumberland Park which is in
the open. It serves 16 stations with a fleet
of 43 trains, 37 of which are in service at
peak hours. It operates a peak service of
28 trains an hour between Seven Sisters
and Brixton. About one train in three
reverses at Seven Sisters. The line is
controlled from a central control room near
Euston main line station.
The automated signalling system is
based on a.c. coded track circuits which
not only provide train detection but also
carry the Automatic Train Protection (ATP)
codes from the trackside equipment to the
trainborne systems. In areas where there
is point work, ‘V’ style mechanical interlockings
are used, the ‘V’ indicating a
vertical frame in which lever contacts, the
levers themselves and the locking till are
aligned. The levers in the interlocking
Figure 1. The Supply Chain
Transport for London (TfL)
London Underground
(LU)
Metronet
(MR)
Bombardier Transportation
(BT)
Westinghouse Rail Systems Limited
(WRSL)
machine are driven from normal to reverse
or vice versa by electro-pneumatic
cylinders.
Colour-light lineside signals are provided
with two or three aspects, red / green or
red / green / lunar white. Three-aspect
signals are provided on sections where
intermediate lineside markers referred to
as ‘headway posts’ are provided. These
headway posts mark locations where
automatically driven trains can legitimately
come to rest if trains are blocking back.
The aspects indicate the following. A red
light is a Stop; a green light is a Proceed
for a manually driven train; and a lunar
white is a Proceed for an automaticallydriven
train only, being regarded as a Stop
in manual operation.
The signalling circuits are arranged
such that a green aspect will only be
shown when authority can be given to
approach the next colour light. With this
arrangement a manually driven train is
never required to stop at any headway
posts. Signals are provided at all platform
locations, at divergences and
convergences, and at entry to and exit
from sidings. Electro-pneumatic shunt
signals are provided for moves to sidings
and the entrance to the depot.
Track circuits of double block joint
arrangement feed code to the trainborne
Automatic Train Control (ATC) systems.
The signalling system supplies the track
circuits with a continuous 125 kHz supply
interrupted by one of four codes (120,
180, 270 or 420 pulses per minute), so
that a pulsed output is fed to the track
circuit depending upon track circuit
occupancy and routes being correctly set.
There are code pick up coils on the front of
the train that detect these codes. The 120
code is not recognised by the trainborne
systems. If the train receives no code or
the 120 code it will apply its emergency
brakes and come to rest. Also fed into the
rails and picked up by the train are
automatic driving command spots in the
range of 1 to 20 kHz.
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Issue 142 February 2009