Functionality of virtual signals in marshaling yard and workshop area signaling systems

Abstract

In railways, due to the fact that the wheels of the vehicles and the rails are made of steel, the friction force between them is very low, and thus, railway transportation is a transportation method that can be used with higher efficiency than other transportation vehicles. Looking at the development of railways, it has always been in renewal due to the increasing demands since its first use and has become a safer and faster transportation method. In this process, the signaling system was developed in order to make the railways safer and faster transportation. With the signaling system, all wayside equipment on the line can be controlled and commanded. In addition, with the interlocking system, which is the most basic component of the signaling system, all these wayside equipment acts according to each other's positions, ensuring that the system is safer. In the lines where the signaling system is used, the design of the area where the signaling system will be applied and the operation planning of the relevant area is very important in order to use the line with higher efficiency, faster operation and also reduce the important and continuous needs such as cost and maintenance. This design is of great importance not only for the placement of the equipment on the line but also for software development. The heart of the rail lines for freight transport is the marshaling yard and workshop areas. These areas are the most critical and complex areas in railways. Many operation methods have been used from past to present for the Marshalling yard and workshop areas. A signaling system has been installed on these lines to increase both operational safety and punctuality. The physical signals (dwarf or maneuver) used in the marshaling yard and workshop areas that exist today actually bring some problems with them. In my thesis, the effects of using virtual signals instead of physical signals for some special areas in signaling system designs for marshaling yard and workshop areas on operation, cost, system reliability, and maintenance times are examined and the advantages are shown. In the first chapter, the differences in railway transportation from other transportation methods and the importance of the signaling system are briefly mentioned. In addition, the operation methods used in the marshaling yard and workshop areas are explained and sample projects are mentioned. Lastly, the purpose of the thesis is explained in this section. In the second part, a brief description of the railway signaling system is explained, and it is explained under three sub-titles as wayside equipment, interlocking system, and centralized traffic control. Each sub-title is divided into sections within itself and detailed information is given. In the third chapter, the routes and types that need to be set in order to move the trains safely depending on the interlocking system are explained. In addition, how the route will be set, the prerequisites for setting the route, the equipment to be controlled and commanded, and the differences between the shunting route and the train route are explained in detail. In the fourth chapter, marshaling yards and workshop areas are introduced, the lines in it, the purposes of use of those lines, and especially the workshop buildings in the workshop areas are stated. In addition, the types of constructions that vary according to the operation to be applied in the marshaling yard and workshop areas are also explained and the advantages of use compared to each other are stated. In the fifth chapter, the information that should be known in the design phase for the signaling system to be applied in the marshaling yard and workshop areas is mentioned. In addition, the differences in the operation applied in these regions according to the mainline were also mentioned. Finally, a sample project with the conventional signaling design with the interlocking system and a sample project managed only by the dispatcher without using any interlocking system is shown, and the advantages and disadvantages of these two projects compared to the proposed signaling system are explained. In the sixth chapter, the proposed signaling system design is explained, and also all the lines in the marshaling yard, their purpose of use, operation, and the workshop areas, which are the application areas of the proposed signaling system, are given and their differences from the marshaling yard are explained. Finally, the benefits of the proposed system to the project in terms of cost, availability, maintainability, and operation are explained. In the seventh chapter, the case study is introduced, the signaling design applied for all lines is explained, and it is also stated in which order the commands will be run in the software. Finally, all the planned operation plans for the workshop area, such as entry, exit, and shunting movement inside the region are explained. In the last section, the conclusions drawn from my thesis work are stated. The effects of using virtual signals and using physical signals are summarized in the table.