In December 2002, Union Switch & Signal, completed delivery of the first
Automatic Train Control (ATC) system in China featuring state-of-the-art
digital FSK track circuits and profile-based cab signaling. The $21.4M
Shanghai Line 2 ATC contract was originally awarded to US&S in 1996 and
called for the design, manufacture, testing, and commissioning of a system for
managing six interlockings, two non-interlocking control locations, 13
passenger stations and a test track in the Line 2 depot. Project
specifications also called for construction of a state-of-the-art Operations
Control Center (OCC) to supervise traffic on the 18 km line, and carborne
signaling equipment for 24 trainsets made up of 6-car consists. US&S
served as the Prime Contractor for the Line 2 Phase 1 project
One of the key US&S products deployed on the Shanghai Line 2 project is
the AF-900® series Digital FSK Track Circuit System. This system utilizes
a simple but highly efficient means of uploading data from the wayside to the
trains, without the need for the bulky and expensive track-mounted equipment of
earlier track circuits. As a result, Line 2 trains can be given a wide
range of speed and profile-braking commands, allowing adjacent trains to safely
operate with headways down to only 100 seconds. The AF-900 system doubles
as the ATC system’s essential train detection and location system along the
mainline areas. (Ansaldo STS has subsequently installed the AF-900 Track
Circuit on several other transit properties around the world, most notably the
Driverless Copenhagen Metro.)
Complementing the AF-900 on the Shanghai Line 2 system are Ansaldo STS’
vehicle-mounted MicroCab® System, and MicroLok® II Vital Controller along the
wayside. In addition to processing vital commands from the AF-900, the MicroCab
system provides control of routine functions such as station stopping,
automatic operation of passenger doors and smooth acceleration out of the
stations. The MicroCab system is also linked to the Shanghai Line 2
wayside through a Train-To-Wayside Communications (TWC) subsystem that allows
OCC personnel to easily send and receive traffic management data such as train
destinations and dwell times at stations. Redundant MicroCab systems
operate on each of the Line 2 system’s 24 vehicles.
The MicroLok® II system performs a variety of critical functions along the
Shanghai Line 2 wayside such as monitoring and generating the vital commands
for the AF-900 track circuits, controlling switch machines and signals in the
interlocking areas, and reporting vital events to the OCC. For the
Shanghai Line 2 system, 29 MicroLok® II units are deployed in a redundant,
warm-standby configuration to maximize overall system reliability.
(Similar MicroLok® II systems are now in operation globally at hundreds
of mass transit and railroad installations.)
The Line 2 OCC features the latest automation control systems technology and
maximum use of commercially available hardware and software to expedite
functional and capacity upgrades. US&S’ OCC employs a distributed,
networked architecture with redundant-server processors, a redundant Ethernet
local area network (LAN), operator workstations with graphics and processing
capability, and a mosaic-panel dispatcher display system. In the event
trains must be controlled locally, US&S’ OCC is augmented with PC-based
Non-Vital Logic Emulators; these units can also be used for localized testing
of train control subsystems.
West Extension In March, 2005 US&S was awarded an $8.1M contract to equip a 6.4 km
extension of the original Shanghai Line 2 route. For this extension,
US&S is furnishing, testing and commissioning AF-900, MicroLok® II and
associated systems for four stations, two interlockings and a dedicated test
track. Shanghai Metro’s US&S-equipped trains will be able to operate
on the extension without modifications to the on-board MicroCab systems.
The existing OCC is undergoing minor hardware and software modifications to
accommodate traffic supervision on the extension, thus taking advantage of the
original system’s modular, expandable design. The Shanghai Line 2 West
Extension ATC project is slated for completion in late 2007.
Additional Cab Sets Also in 2005, US&S was awarded a separate $3.3M contract to furnish
MicroCab on-board systems for eight new vehicles to run on the entire Line 2
property (original route and West Extension). These systems are
functionally identical to those supplied for the original Line 2 contract and
will control 8-car as well as 6-car consists. By choosing US&S for
this contract, as well as the Line 2 West Extension, Shanghai Metro maintains a
standardized and thus easily maintained set of ATC subsystems for the entire
line. The supplemental Cab Signal contract is also targeted for a
completion in 2007.
