Rail automation solutions from Siemens are co-ordinating and controlling the public transportation system in New York and helping to make the network more efficient and safer.

BENEATH the sidewalks of New York lies a subway network unlike any other. It is incredibly large and complex.

Trains run 24-hours and cover more than 1,100km of tracks. On any day, over 6.4 million commuters depend on the subway system.

Maintaining efficiency and safety in this transportation lifeline is an ongoing effort, one that Siemens Rail Automation has been part of. Over the past 12 years, Siemens has completed several technology projects for New York City Transit (NYCT) and the Long Island Railroad. NYCT has upgraded its ability to monitor and control its trains, delivering enhanced customer service through new train arrival information signs.

The solutions are also cutting costs and substantially reducing the possibility of human error. Optimised acceleration, traction and breaking processes mean less energy consumption. Depending on the degree of automation, power consumption can also be reduced by up to 30%, while simultaneously increasing train punctuality.

Roughly one-third of the city’s subway stations are remotely controlled from the operations control centre in Manhattan. The system simultaneously controls nearly 200km of track, 172 subway stations, 45 interlockings, 1,758 control units and 4,811 display devices. The system tracks about 540 trains at any one time and monitors show the position and speed of every train in real time.

Behind these capabilities are three state-of-the-art Siemens technology. The communication-based train control (CBTC) means that commands are no longer transmitted via signals but continuously via wireless local area network-based communications. This innovation reduces the intervals between trains and, thus, increases line utilisation without the need to expand infrastructure. It also permits operators to monitor the positions of all trains at all times.

The automatic train supervision (ATS) is a sensor- and software-based technology which allows train location and speed to be tracked in real time and constantly compared with each train’s timetable. In addition, a fibre optic communications network enables CBTC to interact with ATS.

The public address customer information system automatically generates announcements and displays tailored to each individual station.

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