On 21 September, 4Tel commissioned digital movement authorities for the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) on more than 1,500km of its lines from Broken Hill to Stockinbingal in regional New South Wales that are controlled by the Train Management and Control System (TMACS).
Network Controllers in the ARTC Junee and Broadmeadow control centres now use TMACS to issue a digital movement authority called an Electronic Authority (EA). This is delivered as an encrypted electronic data message to the screen of the ICE radio fitted in the driver cab of a locomotive.
Prior to implementing EAs, a movement authority was issued by a Network Controller via a voice call to the train driver. The movement authority was read out to the driver who would write it on a form and read it back to confirm the details as for voice-based Train Order Working.
Tony Crosby, Chief Executive Officer of 4Tel said, “Digital movement authorities substantially increase network efficiency by simplifying the communication of daily activities, which helps to improve operational bottlenecks. Systems interoperability has been achieved via software without the need to fit any new equipment to the locomotive fleet.”
TMACS EAs improve driver situational awareness by presenting a Proximity Warning on the ICE radio screen when the train is approaching its authority limit, and an Out of Authority Alarm if the train exceeds the limit. These warnings and alarms are automatically generated and presented on the ICE radio screen with no action required by Network Control staff. All details are automatically recorded to support operational review.
TMACS also integrates with the ARTC eTAP work on track application developed by 4Tel. Protection Officers use eTAP to obtain and manage track access instead of recording authority details on a paper form. The combination of EAs and eTAP significantly reduces the Network Controller voice communications workload for routine tasks, and the ‘telephone queue’ from the field back to a control board, allowing more time for non-routine operational tasks.
Geoff Wickens, Acting Group Executive Safety and Systems, ARTC said, “Electronic Authorities are a practical example of how we can make rail safer, simpler and more efficient for our customers. Freight trains travel thousands of kilometres across different networks and operating environments. Every time we can remove unnecessary complexity and make those systems work better together, we make it easier to move by rail.”
Implementation of TMACS EAs is also in progress on two additional ARTC rail lines – the East-West corridor from Tarcoola in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, as part of the Network Investment Program (NIP), and the Benalla-Oaklands line between Victoria and New South Wales.
The implementation of EAs supports the Federal Government’s National Rail Action Plan to make rail safer, more efficient and better able to support Australia’s growing transport needs.
Read more about Electronic Authorities: TMACS Electronic Authorities celebrates 10 years
For media enquiries, please contact Angela Thompson, Communications Manager, on athompson@4tel.com.au or 0481 368 018.
About ARTC
ARTC is a vital link in the nation’s transport supply chain – maintaining and operating the national rail network that connects communities, commerce and customers across Australia to enable the transit of freight and passengers safely, reliably and efficiently.
