Automatic Train Protection
Encyclopedia
Automatic Train Protection (ATP) in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 refers to either of two implementations of a train protection system installed in some train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...

s in order to help prevent collisions through a driver's failure to observe a signal or speed restriction. Note that ATP can also refer to automatic train protection systems in general, as implemented in other parts of Europe and elsewhere.

Dead man's switch

The earliest safety device would be the Dead man's switch
Dead man's switch
A dead man's switch is a switch that is automatically operated in case the human operator becomes incapacitated, such as through death or loss of consciousness....

 which requires no track-side equipment.

Overview

This system uses a target speed indication and audible warnings to warn the train driver if they are likely to exceed a speed profile that will cause the train to pass a red (danger) signal
Railway signal
A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...

 or exceed a speed restriction. The system will apply the brakes if the driver fails to respond to these warnings. The system takes into account the speed and position of the train relative to the end of its 'movement authority' in issuing the warnings and applying the brakes.

By the 1980s, microprocessors had developed sufficiently for British Rail to carry out pilot trials on existing European 'off the shelf' ATP – fitting part of the Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...

 with the TBL1 system from ACEC and the Chiltern Main Line
Chiltern Main Line
The Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...

 route with SELCAB a derivative of the German LZB system from Alcatel
Alcatel
Alcatel Mobile Phones is a brand of mobile handsets. It was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent of France and TCL Communication of China....

 and GEC.

In the early 1990s, following the Clapham Junction rail crash
Clapham Junction rail crash
The Clapham Junction rail crash was a serious railway accident involving two collisions between three commuter trains at 08:10 on the morning of Monday, 12 December 1988....

 in December 1988, and two other fatal accidents in early 1989 caused by SPADs
Signal passed at danger
A Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...

, British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...

 was keen to implement the ATP system across the entire British railway system. However, the cost (estimated at over £1bn) was balked at by the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 government, whose priority was the privatization of the railways.

All of First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....

's High Speed Train
High Speed Train
There are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....

s (HSTs) are now fitted with ATP and are not allowed to carry passengers unless the system is functioning. This requirement is in response to the Ladbroke Grove rail crash
Ladbroke Grove rail crash
The Ladbroke Grove Rail Crash was a rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999 at Ladbroke Grove, London, England. Thirty-one people were killed and more than 520 injured...

. All Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company. It was set up at the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, and operates local passenger trains from Marylebone station in London to Aylesbury and main-line trains on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill with its associated branches...

 Class 165
British Rail Class 165
The British Rail Class 165 Turbo is a fleet of suburban diesel multiple units , originally specified by and built for British Rail, the then United Kingdom state owned railway operator. They were built by BREL at York Works between 1990 and 1992...

 and Class 168
British Rail Class 168
The Class 168 Clubman is a diesel multiple-unit train used on services between London and the Midlands.-Description:The units were built in several batches from 1997 onwards. The first batch of units was classified 168/0 under TOPS and resembled the Class 165 units previously built by BREL at York...

 trains are also fitted with ATP. Also, all of Heathrow Express
Heathrow Express
Heathrow Express is an airport rail link from London Heathrow Airport to London Paddington station in London operated by the Heathrow Express Operating Authority, a wholly owned subsidiary of BAA. It was opened by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998...

 Class 332
British Rail Class 332
The British Rail Class 332 is the type of electric multiple unit train used on the Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport.-Description:The fleet was built in 1997-1998 by Siemens and CAF at the latter’s factory in Zaragoza, Spain...

 trains and Heathrow Connect
Heathrow Connect
Heathrow Connect is a train operating company in London provided jointly by Heathrow Express and First Great Western, connecting Heathrow Airport with station. The service follows the same route as the Heathrow Express service but serves intermediate stations en route, thus connecting several...

's Class 360/2
British Rail Class 360
The British Rail Class 360 electric multiple units were built by Siemens in two sub-types from 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. These units are part of the Siemens Desiro family.The Siemens "Desiro UK" family also includes units of Classes 185, 350, 380, 444 and 450....

 trains are fitted with this system.

ATP is given permitted speed and location information from the track via encoded balise
Balise
A balise is an electronic beacon or transponder placed between the rails of a railway as part of an Automatic Train Protection system. The French word "balise" is used to distinguish these beacons from other kinds of beacon....

(s), encoded track circuit or more recently via radio.

In TfL
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...

's plans to modernise the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...

 network, all lines would be equipped with ATP, replacing the current train stop
Train stop
Part of a railway signalling system, a train stop or trip stop is a train protection device that automatically stops a train if it attempts to pass a signal when the signal aspect and operating rules prohibit such movement, or if it attempts to pass at an excessive speed.- Basic operation :The...

 system, a mechanical system which currently prevents SPADs
Signal passed at danger
A Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...

 and collisions. The Central Line
Central Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...

 is already equipped with ATP, installed with the modernisation of the line in 1996.

Continuous and intermittent ATP

ATP systems may be broadly grouped as continuous and intermittent. With continuous ATP, a cable is laid between the rails for the full length of the block section. The rails themselves may also be used as the cable whereby the track talks to the train. With intermittent ATP, beacons called balise
Balise
A balise is an electronic beacon or transponder placed between the rails of a railway as part of an Automatic Train Protection system. The French word "balise" is used to distinguish these beacons from other kinds of beacon....

s are mounted between the rails on the approach to signals, and perhaps a few other locations.

ERTMS is an attempt to set a standard for Mainline ATP across Europe where balises, GSM-R Radio and on train equipment made by any manufacturer (who are part of the working group) work together with each other. This is achieved by carefully agreeing the functional specification of the system and the format and transmission methods of data across the air gap, both transponder and radio (GSM-R is the most common system in use)

Accidents preventable by ATP

  • Hines Hill train collision
    Hines Hill train collision
    The Hines Hill train collision occurred on the Eastern Goldfields Railway on 14 January 1996 at Hines Hill, Western Australia. Two trains entered a crossing loop simultaneously in opposing directions, although signals at the exit from the crossing loop were correctly showing red for...

     - 1996 - driver misjudges end of crossing loop during simultaneous cross with opposing train. Two killed. Watford rail crash
    Watford rail crash
    In the early evening of Thursday 8 August 1996, a Class 321 passenger train operated by North London Railways Ltd travelling from London Euston on the West Coast Main Line Down Slow line at around 110 km/h passed a signal at danger...

     - 1996 - Signal passed at danger
    Signal passed at danger
    A Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...

     resulting in collision with coaching stock. One killed. Southall rail crash
    Southall rail crash
    The Southall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 19 September 1997, on the Great Western Main Line at Southall, west London. Seven people were killed and 139 injured...

     - 1997 - Signal passed at danger
    Signal passed at danger
    A Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...

    , resulting in a collision between a passenger train and a freight train crossing the track in front of it. Ladbroke Grove rail crash
    Ladbroke Grove rail crash
    The Ladbroke Grove Rail Crash was a rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999 at Ladbroke Grove, London, England. Thirty-one people were killed and more than 520 injured...

     - 1999 - inexperienced driver misread complicated signals, passes red signal and causes head-on collision
    Head-on collision
    A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.-Rail transport:...

    . Glenbrook train disaster
    Glenbrook train disaster
    The 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...

     - 1999 - too fast after Stop and Proceed. Waterfall train disaster
    Waterfall train disaster
    The Waterfall rail accident was a train accident that occurred on 31 January 2003 near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia. The train derailed, killing seven people aboard, including the train driver.-Incident:...

     - 2003 - too fast around very sharp curve. Seven Hills
    Western Sydney
    Western Sydney is a major region of Sydney, Australia. It has a number of different definitions but one consistently used is the region composed of the 11 councils which until recently were all members of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils:* Auburn Council* Bankstown City Council*...

    , Blacktown and Concord West - drivers take turnout at too high a speed, causing minor injuries to passengers. 17 September 2005 Too fast through turnouts between Joliet
    Joliet, Illinois
    Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...

     and Chicago
    Chicago
    Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

    . Amagasaki rail crash
    Amagasaki rail crash
    The Amagasaki rail crash occurred on 25 April 2005 at 09:19 local time , just after the local rush hour. The Rapid Service came off the tracks on the West Japan Railway Company Fukuchiyama Line in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, near Osaka, just before Amagasaki Station on its way for Dōshisha-mae...

     - 2005 - Overspeed through sharp curve. 107 killed, 555 injured. Chatsworth train collision
    2008 Chatsworth train collision
    The Chatsworth train collision occurred at 16:22 PDT on Friday September 12, 2008, when a Union Pacific freight train and a Metrolink commuter train collided head-on in the Chatsworth district of Los Angeles, California, in the United States...

     - 2008 - driver of commuter train passes red signal and collides head-on with freight train - 25 killed

Accidents not preventable by ATP

Clapham Junction rail crash
Clapham Junction rail crash
The Clapham Junction rail crash was a serious railway accident involving two collisions between three commuter trains at 08:10 on the morning of Monday, 12 December 1988....

 - 1988 - wrong-side failure
Wrong-side failure
A wrong side failure describes a failure condition in a piece of railway signalling equipment that results in an unsafe state.A typical example would be a signal showing a 'proceed' aspect when it should be showing a 'stop' or 'danger' aspect, resulting in a "false clear"...

 - both signal and balise would have shown false green lights. 35 killed, 100 plus injured. Cowan rail crash
Cowan rail crash
The Cowan rail accident occurred at 7:20pm on 6 May 1990 when the 3801 Limited special steam passenger train returning from the Morpeth Jazz Festival was struck in the rear by the following CityRail inter-urban passenger service...

 - 1990 - wrong-side failure
Wrong-side failure
A wrong side failure describes a failure condition in a piece of railway signalling equipment that results in an unsafe state.A typical example would be a signal showing a 'proceed' aspect when it should be showing a 'stop' or 'danger' aspect, resulting in a "false clear"...

 - caused by sand on the rails. Clementi train collision - 1993 - oil spillage on track, may have interfered with normal ATP operation on the 12 trains that arrived at Clementi MRT Station
Clementi MRT Station
Clementi MRT Station ' is an above-ground MRT station in the west of Singapore. It is part of the East West Line.One of the older MRT stations in Singapore, Clementi MRT station was opened in 1988. The station is painted light blue, and with recent renovations a lift has been added for the benefit...

 in the early morning since the oil have came into contact with the ATP power system fixed into the rails. The ATP system in question is continuous ATP, which is still used on the North South MRT Line
North South MRT Line
The North South Line was the 1st Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is currently 44 km long with 25 stations, and is operated by SMRT Corporation...

 and the East West MRT Line
East West MRT Line
The East West Line was the 2nd Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is currently 49.2 km long with 35 stations , making it the longest MRT line in Singapore. It takes about 63 minutes to travel from one end to the other...

. 156 injuries, no deaths. Bruehl train disaster - 2000 - too fast through turnout during single-line working
Single-line working
On a double track railway, single-line working refers to the practice of using one track out of two, usually when one of the tracks is out of use for maintenance or because of damage or some obstruction.- Circumstances :...

 and degraded operations.

Accidents reducible by ATP

In the Gare de Lyon train accident
Gare de Lyon train accident
The Gare de Lyon rail accident happened on 27 June 1988 when a commuter train inbound to the station Paris-Gare de Lyon crashed into a stationary train killing 56 people.-The disaster:...

 in Paris in 1988, a brake failure was the prime cause of the accident. However a more modern ATP system, if fitted, might have reduced the intensity of the collision in two ways:
    • Firstly, the on board ATP equipment may have detected the excessive speed of the train sooner than the driver did.
    • Secondly, the ATP system presumably would have applied a secondary backup brake system, even though this might have "risked" flat wheels. Apparently, the driver failed to apply or forgot the existence of this secondary brake.

See also

  • Dead man's switch
    Dead man's switch
    A dead man's switch is a switch that is automatically operated in case the human operator becomes incapacitated, such as through death or loss of consciousness....

  • Automatic Warning System
    Automatic Warning System
    The Automatic Warning System is a form of limited cab signalling and train protection system introduced in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help train drivers observe and obey signals. It was based on a 1930 system developed by Alfred Ernest Hudd and marketed as the "Strowger-Hudd" system...

  • Train Protection & Warning System
  • Train protection system
  • Train warning system
    Train Warning System (India)
    The Train Warning System is a device that helps prevent trains passing signals at stop. The system is an implementation of Level 1 ERTMS....

     - an Indian system
  • Automatische treinbeïnvloeding
    Automatische treinbeïnvloeding
    Automatische TreinBeïnvloeding or ATB is a Dutch train protection system developed in the 1950s. Its installation was spurred by the Harmelen train disaster of 1962....

     (ATB) – a Dutch system which would have prevented the Harmelen train disaster
    Harmelen train disaster
    The Harmelen train disaster was the worst railway accident in the history of the Netherlands. Harmelen, in the central Netherlands, is the location of a railway junction where a branch to Amsterdam leaves the Rotterdam to Utrecht line...

    .
  • EBICAB
    EBICAB
    EBICAB is a trade mark registered by Bombardier for the equipment on board a train used as a part of a Automatic Train Control system. EBICAB was originally derived from Ericsson's SLR system in Sweden. Most trains in Sweden an Norway uses a similar on-board system, Ansaldo L10000 from...

  • European Train Control System
    European Train Control System
    The European Train Control System is a signalling, control andtrain protection system designed to replace the many incompatible safety systems currently used by European railways, especially on high-speed lines.- History :...

     (ETCS)
  • Anti Collision Device
    Anti Collision Device
    The Anti Collision Device is a form of Automatic Train Protection invented by and used on Indian Railways.- Overview :The ACD Network is a Train Collision prevention system patented by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited . ACDs have knowledge embedded intelligence...

  • Lists of rail accidents
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