Axle Counter Overlay System | UK
train-detectionUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Axle Counter Overlay System

Operator
Network Rail
Country
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Partner
Siemens
Segment
Main & Regional Line
Application
Track Vacancy Detection
Products
FAdC®, RSR123
Year
2019
Scope of project
45 counting heads, 4 FAdC® location cases

Between London St Pancras International Station and Farringdon Station, there is a history of frequent flooding through the tunnels that adversely affected the reliability of the existing train detection system. Due to this, the installation was non-operational during large periods. However, being a mainline section and a core route through London, high reciliation to any sort of failures is vital.

In 2019, Network Rail started to look at how to improve the overall reliability of the railway without removing the existing detection system. The main requirement was guaranteeing maximum availability considering the local conditions without interfering with the existing installation.

Due to its great reliability under such circumstances the Frauscher Advanced Counter FAdC® has been chosen as the most appropriate solution. The FAdC’s® modular design allowed for the establishment of a decentralised architecture, where four external location cases were installed between the two stations to host the axle counter’s indoor equipment. The system is supported by the Frauscher Wheel Sensor RSR123, which precisely tracks every train axle. The sensor is extremely resilient to water penetration and other environmental and external influences. Thanks to the IP68 rated housing, it even works reliably in case of floods.

Excellent match of requirements

The FAdC® units installed in location cases between the stations can communicate with one another via a vital Ethernet interface and also with the higher-ranking system using relay outputs. With overlay systems, the new track sections had to match the existing track section limits. Therefore, the system had a specific requirement to install the RSR123 within 0.5 m of the existing train detection system and within proximity of the neutral section to avoid any impact on the signalling controls.

Great resilience

The RSR123 is highly resilient against any interference or environmental influences.

Similar Projects
This might also interest you
1/5
train-detectionKazakhstan

FAdC® at Vhodnaya Station

ArcelorMittal is responsible for the operation of a dedicated industrial railway infrastructure located in Temirtau, Kazakhstan. At Vhodnaya station, an essential shunting yard, various goods and materials, such as polyester, zinc, aluminium, sinter, iron ore, and coke-chemical products, are loaded and unloaded. The station's robust infrastructure features 64 switching points and 68 signals, necessitating the use of a high-performing train detection system to ensure the safe and efficient management of traffic flow.
train-detectionChina

CBTC Fallback System on Beijing Metro Lines

Beijing metro, one of the busiest lines in the world, was Frauscher’s very first assignment when entering the Chinese market. Due to its utilised capacity, it requires a great level of stability, reliability and performance of the entire signalling system. The Communication Based Train Control System (CBTC) applied here relies on a backup system consisting of fixed automatic train detection systems. Axle counting systems from Frauscher are perfectly suited for the accurate operation of such stand-by systems.
train-detectionCanada

Edmonton Metro Line

The Edmonton Metro Line was experiencing significant issues with its newly installed Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system, which did not perform to the operator‘s expectations. The city was forced to run an incomplete schedule with reduced train speed and frequency which negatively affected commuters and the city of Edmonton in general. Finally in 2019, the operator decided to install a new system in cooperation with Frauscher.
train-detectionTaiwan

Shalun Signaling

The Shalun Line is frequented by four-car-trains and located in the south of Taiwan. Tropical conditions with temperatures between 22 and 28 degrees and high humidity are not the only challenge the Frauscher Axle Counter Solution has to deal with.
train-detectionUnited States of America

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Supplementing Audio Frequency Track Circuits with Axle Counters

At the Charlotte Area Transit System, frequent false red signal overruns resulted when electromagnetic interference caused “bobbing” of the line’s audio frequency track circuits. The Frauscher Advanced Counter FAdC® was subsequently considered as an alternative to these track circuits to eliminate the occurrence of false red signal overruns.