Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung
Encyclopedia
PZB or Indusi is an intermittent cab signalling
system and train protection system used in Germany
, Austria
, Slovenia
, Croatia
, Romania
, Israel
and on one line in Canada
.
Developed in Germany the historic short name Indusi was derived from German Induktive Zugsicherung ("inductive train protection"). Later generations of the system were named PZB short of German Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung ("intermittent automatic train running control") as PZB/Indusi is a family of intermittent train control systems and it is a predecessor of the German Linienzugbeeinflussung
(LZB, "continuous train protection") system. Originally Indusi provided warnings and enforced braking only if the warning was not acknowledged (similar to traditional automatic train stop
) but current developments of PZB provide more enforcement.
Locomotives and multiple unit cars with operating cabs are equipped with onboard transmitter coils with the superimposed frequencies 500 Hz, 1000 Hz and 2000 Hz. Passive tuned inductor
s (RLC circuits) are situated at appropriate trackside locations; each inductor resonates at one of the three frequencies, depending on its location. When the leading end of the train passes over one of the trackside inductors, the inductor's presence is detected by the onboard equipment through a change in magnetic flux. This activates the appropriate onboard circuit and triggers whatever action is required based on the location (e.g., an audible/visual warning, enforced speed limit, or enforced stop).
The three frequencies have different meanings to the train:
1000 Hz
500 Hz
2000 Hz
1000 and 500 Hz activate conditional restrictions. If the train's driver fails to take the required action within the allowed time, the system enforces a stop. A 2000 Hz enforces an unconditional stop. Details of the restrictions vary with different versions of the system, but the common purpose is to enforce the observation of speed reductions and then a stop before a train reaches a red signal. The 2000 Hz inductor is a last resort to stop a train as it overruns a red signal.
Since 1931 the development concentrated on an inductive train protection system (INDUSI) that did not require electricity. In a parallel development Switzerland started to introduce the Integra-Signum
system based on magnets since 1933 which is based on similar ideas. The original Indusi system was deployed since 1934 which however had only a train stop function (the 2000 Hz signal in later revisions). The system spread to Austria and countries of the historic Austro-Hungarian Empire which share a common root with Germany in terms of rail transport history
during the German Customs Union.
specified the modern Indusi system in 1954 and called it Indusi I 54.
The original I 60 system proved insufficient in a number of situation so that it saw multiple revisions that finally led to the revised standard I 60R.
the locomotives were equipped with a microprocessor-based LZB/I 80 train protection system since 1980 which was able to pick up the Indusi signals. The experience with this system led to the development of the Indusi I 60R system that required microprocessors in all locomotives. Instead of checking certain speeds at certain points in time, the new system continuously checked a curve of speed against time. If the train was faster than the curve allowed, a stop could be enforced at any time.
and the enforcement of the inner German border since 1967. The East-German Deutsche Reichsbahn
wanted to gain independence of the I 60 supply by the West-German Siemens manufacturer and later the Romanian I 60 Icret that was based on I 60. The East-German manufacturer Geräte- und Reglerwerk Teltow was advised to develop a native intermittent train control. The PZ80 supports all Indusi 60 modes enhanced with a number of new modes including speed control in steps of 10 km/h, continuous braking curves and a restrictive mode. After the German reunification
in 1990 the upcoming PZB90 system was able to pick up on the experiences of the PZ80 system.
The new restrictive mode limits speeds after a train stopped before reaching a red signal. Currently, trains are limited to 45 km/h when stopping after an active 1000 Hz inductor or to 25 km/h when stopping after an active 500 Hz inductor.
, Canada
, OC Transpo
's O-Train uses Indusi controls on its German-built Talent
s.
Cab signalling
Cab signalling is a railway safety system that communicates track status information to the cab, crew compartment or driver's compartment of a locomotive, railcar or multiple unit, where the train driver or engine driver can see the information....
system and train protection system used in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and on one line in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Developed in Germany the historic short name Indusi was derived from German Induktive Zugsicherung ("inductive train protection"). Later generations of the system were named PZB short of German Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung ("intermittent automatic train running control") as PZB/Indusi is a family of intermittent train control systems and it is a predecessor of the German Linienzugbeeinflussung
Linienzugbeeinflussung
Linienzugbeeinflussung is a cab signalling andtrain protection system used on selected German and Austrian railway linesas well as the AVE in Spain.In Germany, the system is mandatory on all lines where trains exceed speeds of...
(LZB, "continuous train protection") system. Originally Indusi provided warnings and enforced braking only if the warning was not acknowledged (similar to traditional automatic train stop
Automatic Train Stop
An automatic train stop is a system on a train that will automatically stop a train if certain situations happened to prevent accidents from happening....
) but current developments of PZB provide more enforcement.
Equipment
RLC circuit
An RLC circuit is an electrical circuit consisting of a resistor, an inductor, and a capacitor, connected in series or in parallel. The RLC part of the name is due to those letters being the usual electrical symbols for resistance, inductance and capacitance respectively...
s (RLC circuits) are situated at appropriate trackside locations; each inductor resonates at one of the three frequencies, depending on its location. When the leading end of the train passes over one of the trackside inductors, the inductor's presence is detected by the onboard equipment through a change in magnetic flux. This activates the appropriate onboard circuit and triggers whatever action is required based on the location (e.g., an audible/visual warning, enforced speed limit, or enforced stop).
The three frequencies have different meanings to the train:
1000 Hz
- warning that the distant signal being passed shows "caution", drop of speed required. Driver has to confirm that he has seen the "caution" aspect by pressing a button; failure to do so within a few seconds results in a forced stop
500 Hz
- immediate maximum speed (Vmax) as well as further drop of speed are enforced
2000 Hz
- stop
1000 and 500 Hz activate conditional restrictions. If the train's driver fails to take the required action within the allowed time, the system enforces a stop. A 2000 Hz enforces an unconditional stop. Details of the restrictions vary with different versions of the system, but the common purpose is to enforce the observation of speed reductions and then a stop before a train reaches a red signal. The 2000 Hz inductor is a last resort to stop a train as it overruns a red signal.
History
Experiments with magnetic induction for a train protection system can be traced back as early as 1908. All of the early prototypes did require track-side electricity supply which was not available however in the widespread mechanical interlocking stations. Parallel investigations did look at optical recognition equipment (Optische Zugsicherung / OPSI) which was dumped however on the base of instability due to dirt and dust on the lenses.Since 1931 the development concentrated on an inductive train protection system (INDUSI) that did not require electricity. In a parallel development Switzerland started to introduce the Integra-Signum
Integra-Signum
Integra-Signum is a Swiss train protection system introduced in 1933. Originally it was called Signum; the name Integra was added later. It transmits data inductively and is simple, robust and reliable also in snow.-How it works:...
system based on magnets since 1933 which is based on similar ideas. The original Indusi system was deployed since 1934 which however had only a train stop function (the 2000 Hz signal in later revisions). The system spread to Austria and countries of the historic Austro-Hungarian Empire which share a common root with Germany in terms of rail transport history
History of rail transport in Germany
German Railway history began with the opening of the steam-hauled Bavarian Ludwig Railway between Nuremberg and Fürth on 7 December 1835. This had been preceded by the opening of the horse-hauled Prince William Railway on 20 September 1831...
during the German Customs Union.
Versions
Indusi prototypes had been developed in the 1930s but further deployment was inhibited at the end of war in 1945. The Deutsche BundesbahnDeutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
specified the modern Indusi system in 1954 and called it Indusi I 54.
I 60
Minor improvements in the 1960s led to the Indusi I 60 system. When a 1000 Hz inductor was encountered, the driver had to acknowledge the caution signal within four seconds. Additionally, a countdown was started to check whether the train had slowed to a specified speed within a specified time frame. Depending on the type of train the locomotive was hauling, the system could be manually switched between three modes of operation: freight train, low speed and high speed passenger train. In each mode, the system calculated a different speed curve based on the maximum allowable speed and braking characteristics of the train.The original I 60 system proved insufficient in a number of situation so that it saw multiple revisions that finally led to the revised standard I 60R.
I 60R
With the introduction of Linienzugbeeinflussung by Deutsche BundesbahnDeutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
the locomotives were equipped with a microprocessor-based LZB/I 80 train protection system since 1980 which was able to pick up the Indusi signals. The experience with this system led to the development of the Indusi I 60R system that required microprocessors in all locomotives. Instead of checking certain speeds at certain points in time, the new system continuously checked a curve of speed against time. If the train was faster than the curve allowed, a stop could be enforced at any time.
PZ80
The PZ80 is a result of the German divisionIron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
and the enforcement of the inner German border since 1967. The East-German Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
wanted to gain independence of the I 60 supply by the West-German Siemens manufacturer and later the Romanian I 60 Icret that was based on I 60. The East-German manufacturer Geräte- und Reglerwerk Teltow was advised to develop a native intermittent train control. The PZ80 supports all Indusi 60 modes enhanced with a number of new modes including speed control in steps of 10 km/h, continuous braking curves and a restrictive mode. After the German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990 the upcoming PZB90 system was able to pick up on the experiences of the PZ80 system.
PZB90
PZB90 is a new version, deployed in the mid-1990s. It features a new restrictive mode as the result of two accidents. In both cases a train had stopped at a station as intended. Then the train accelerated again, despite the signal still showing red. When the train reached the exit signal, its speed was sufficient to crash into another train despite the automatic braking enforced by the 2000 Hz inductor.The new restrictive mode limits speeds after a train stopped before reaching a red signal. Currently, trains are limited to 45 km/h when stopping after an active 1000 Hz inductor or to 25 km/h when stopping after an active 500 Hz inductor.
Germany
German safety regulations (the EBO, the German federal rail safety regulator) requires PZB on all but very minor lines. Since 1998 all traction vehicles must be equipped with Indusi in Germany - before that it was possible for trains without a protection system to use PZB-enabled lines up to a speed of 100 km/h. The change of allowance guidelines of the EBO did require about 800 vehicles from the former Deutsche Reichsbahn to be either retrofitted or scrapped.Romania
An Indusi I-60 system identical to the German one is equipped on all standard-gauge railroads in Romania. The Romanian rail regulator, AFER, requires all locomotives, EMUs and DMUs operating on public infrastructure to be equipped with Indusi systems.Canada
In OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, OC Transpo
OC Transpo
OC Transpo is the urban transit service of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. An integrated hub-and-spoke system of services is available consisting of: regular buses travelling on fixed routes in mixed traffic, typical of most urban transit systems; a bus rapid transit system — a high...
's O-Train uses Indusi controls on its German-built Talent
Talent (train)
The Talent is a multiple unit railcar manufactured by Bombardier that was developed by Waggonfabrik Talbot in Aachen shortly before the company was acquired by Bombardier in 1995...
s.
Denmark
Indusi is also installed in 10 Danish IC3 flexliner trains used on the Copenhagen - Hamburg line.Similar accidents
Failure to control speed after passing signal at stop:- Glenbrook train disasterGlenbrook train disasterThe Glenbrook rail accident occurred on 2 December 1999 at 8:22 am in New South Wales, Australia, in which seven passengers were killed and 51 passengers were transported to hospital with injuries. The accident occurred when an interurban train collided with the rear wagon of the Indian Pacific...
- Lindfield train disaster