Automatic Train Stop
Encyclopedia
An automatic train stop is a system on a train that will automatically stop a train if certain situations happened (unresponsive train operator, earthquake, disconnected rail, train running over a stop signal, etc.) to prevent accidents from happening.
in 1878. In 1880, most of Russia
started using ATS on its railway lines, the second country to be fitted with ATS. In 1921, Japan
started using ATS on the Tokaido Main Line
, the third country to do so.
Great Britain and America started using ATS in the 1920s, Germany adopted it in the 1930s and China first used it in the 1950s. By 1980, almost every railway used some form of ATS.
In 1954, Japan introduced ATS-B, the first known variant of ATS. In 1967, ATS-S (and its various supplements) was invented, the first non-contact-based ATS to be used; in 1974, ATS-P was used for the first time, and in 1986, H-ATS was invented.
. This system was soon adopted by the New York City Subway
and other rapid transit
systems in the United States. Similar systems were installed around this time on the London Underground
system.
of 79 mph (127.1 km/h). The term applies to an intermittent system that triggers an alerter in the cab of the locomotive that the engineer must respond to within a set period of time before the brakes are automatically applied. The system has no ability to enforce speeds or signal indications; it instead attracts the attention of the engineer.
The most popular implementation of ATS was made by the General Railway Signal
company and consisted of inductive coils
mounted just outside the right hand rail in relation to the direction of travel. When the signal is displaying an indication other than Clear, the inductor is energized and a pick up coil mounted on locomotive or control car would sense the magnetic field and trigger the alarm in the cab.
Although less popular in the east than cab signals, ATS was installed on the New York Central Water Level Route between New York and Chicago, before being later removed by Conrail. The system saw its most extensive use in the Midwestern and Western U.S. For instance, the Chicago and North Western Railway
installed ATS on its Chicago area commuter lines as well as its route from Chicago, Illinois to Wyeville, Wisconsin
, though it was removed from the latter in 1964. The ATSF installed ATS on much of its transcontinental main line, which is still used by Amtrak's Southwest Chief
as well as its line between Los Angeles and San Diego, which is still used by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner
. The presence of ATS on both lines allows for 90 mph operation.
are equipped with this system. The ATS systems in Japan are slightly similar to those used in the United States, but are mostly transponder
-based.
Below is a list of ATS systems that are specific to Japan only:
Private railway
In addition, various private-sector railways and subway lines have adopted their own versions of the ATS system since 1967. Like the ATS systems used by the railways in the JR Group, they are transponder-based as well, but are generally incompatible with the ATS systems used by JR.
and subway
lines are equipped with this system.
ATS systems can also be non-contact magnetic or inductive. Again they tend to be incompatible. Non contact systems are suitable for high speeds.
Railway systems
The first (mechanical) ATS system was installed in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1878. In 1880, most of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
started using ATS on its railway lines, the second country to be fitted with ATS. In 1921, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
started using ATS on the Tokaido Main Line
Tokaido Main Line
The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...
, the third country to do so.
Great Britain and America started using ATS in the 1920s, Germany adopted it in the 1930s and China first used it in the 1950s. By 1980, almost every railway used some form of ATS.
In 1954, Japan introduced ATS-B, the first known variant of ATS. In 1967, ATS-S (and its various supplements) was invented, the first non-contact-based ATS to be used; in 1974, ATS-P was used for the first time, and in 1986, H-ATS was invented.
Rapid transit
In 1901 Union Switch and Signal Company developed the first automatic train stop system for the Boston Elevated RailwayBoston Elevated Railway
The Boston Elevated Railway was a precursor first to the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Massachusetts, now the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, operating rapid transit, streetcars and buses in the Boston, Massachusetts area. It was formerly known as the West End Street Railway.The...
. This system was soon adopted by the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
and other rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
systems in the United States. Similar systems were installed around this time on 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...
system.
United States
This is one of the systems prescribed since 1951 by the federal government to allow passenger trains to exceed a speed limitSpeed limits in the United States (rail)
Rail speed limits in the United States are regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration. Railroads also implement their own limits and enforce speed limits. Speed restrictions are based on a number of factors including curvature, signaling, track condition, the physical condition of a train,...
of 79 mph (127.1 km/h). The term applies to an intermittent system that triggers an alerter in the cab of the locomotive that the engineer must respond to within a set period of time before the brakes are automatically applied. The system has no ability to enforce speeds or signal indications; it instead attracts the attention of the engineer.
The most popular implementation of ATS was made by the General Railway Signal
General Railway Signal
General Railway Signal Company was a supplier of railway signaling equipment, systems and services in the Rochester, New York area. The company was established in 1904 and became part of Alstom Transport in 1998...
company and consisted of inductive coils
Magnetic induction
Magnetic induction may refer to one of the following:* Electromagnetic induction* Magnetic field B is sometimes called magnetic induction...
mounted just outside the right hand rail in relation to the direction of travel. When the signal is displaying an indication other than Clear, the inductor is energized and a pick up coil mounted on locomotive or control car would sense the magnetic field and trigger the alarm in the cab.
Although less popular in the east than cab signals, ATS was installed on the New York Central Water Level Route between New York and Chicago, before being later removed by Conrail. The system saw its most extensive use in the Midwestern and Western U.S. For instance, the Chicago and North Western Railway
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
installed ATS on its Chicago area commuter lines as well as its route from Chicago, Illinois to Wyeville, Wisconsin
Wyeville, Wisconsin
Wyeville is a village in Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 146 at the 2000 census. It takes its name from the railroad wye where rail lines of the former Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, now Union Pacific Railway, cross.-Geography:Wyeville is located at ...
, though it was removed from the latter in 1964. The ATSF installed ATS on much of its transcontinental main line, which is still used by Amtrak's Southwest Chief
Southwest Chief
The Southwest Chief is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 2256-mile BNSF route through the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. It runs from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California, passing through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California...
as well as its line between Los Angeles and San Diego, which is still used by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner
Pacific Surfliner
The Pacific Surfliner is a Amtrak regional passenger train route serving communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo....
. The presence of ATS on both lines allows for 90 mph operation.
Japan
Many trains in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
are equipped with this system. The ATS systems in Japan are slightly similar to those used in the United States, but are mostly transponder
Transponder
In telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
-based.
Below is a list of ATS systems that are specific to Japan only:
JR Group
- ATS-B (utilizes a unit that uses power from overhead catenaries to power the ATS-B system)
- ATS-Dx
- ATS-S(x) (ATS using S-type transponder; always supplemented with: ATS-SF, ATS-SK, ATS-SM, ATS-SN, ATS-SS, ATS-ST or ATS-SW, the last two letters corresponding to the type of transponder used with the S-type transponder)
- ATS-P (ATS using pattern renewal transponder; variants are ATS-PF, ATS-PN, ATS-PT and ATS-Ps)
- D-ATS-P (Digital ATS-P)
- H-ATS (used on the EF66 locomotive since 1986)
Private railwayPrivate railwayA private railroad is a railroad run by a private corporation, as opposed to a railroad run by a public sector.-Japan:In Japan, refers to a railway line owned and operated by private sector. Although Japan Railways Group companies are private entities, they are not considered private railways...
s/Subway lines
In addition, various private-sector railways and subway lines have adopted their own versions of the ATS system since 1967. Like the ATS systems used by the railways in the JR Group, they are transponder-based as well, but are generally incompatible with the ATS systems used by JR.- C-ATS/i-ATS (Used by Keikyu Corporation, Keisei Electric RailwayKeisei Electric RailwayThe is a major private railway in Chiba and Tokyo, Japan. The name Keisei is the combination of the kanji 京 from and 成 from , which the railways main line connects. The combination uses different readings than the ones used in the city names. The railway's main line runs from Tokyo to Narita and...
, Shin-Keisei Electric RailwayShin-Keisei Electric RailwayThe is a private railway in Chiba, Japan. It connects Narashino and Matsudo.It has subsidiaries of bus company .It is a subsidiary of Keisei Electric Railway.-History:...
and on Toei Asakusa Line) - Meitetsu ATS (Used by Meitetsu)
- OM-ATS (Used by Odakyu Electric RailwayOdakyu Electric Railway, or OER, is a major railway company based in Tokyo, Japan best known for its Romancecar series of limited express trains from Tokyo to Odawara, Enoshima, Tama New Town, and Hakone....
) - T-ATS (Formerly used on Toei Mita LineToei Mita LineThe is a subway line of the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation network in Tokyo, Japan. The line runs between Nishi-Takashimadaira in Itabashi and Meguro in Shinagawa. Trains continue with direct service into the Meguro Line of Tokyu Corporation for...
, similar to Tōbu ATS) - Tōbu ATS (Used by Tobu RailwayTobu Railwayis a Japanese commuter railway company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. It operates in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi, and Gunma Prefectures...
) - Hankyu RailwayHankyu Railwayis a Japanese private railway that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region and is one of major businesses operated by Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc. The railway's main terminal is at Umeda Station in Osaka...
, Hanshin Electric RailwayHanshin Electric Railwayis a Japanese private railway company of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.The second character for Osaka and the first character for Kobe combine to form the company name, 阪神, which can be read Han-shin.IC cards are accepted when...
, Keio Corporation, KintetsuKintetsu, named Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in English until June 27, 2003, is a Japanese rail transit corporation commonly known as . It is the largest non-JR railway in Japan. Its complex network of lines connects Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu and Ise...
, Sagami RailwaySagami RailwayThe , or , is a railway company operating three lines in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It ranks among the "big 15" major railways in Japan.- Overview :Sagami Railway is one of the core companies of the Sotetsu group...
, Sanyo Electric RailwaySanyo Electric RailwaySanyo Electric Railway Co., Ltd. is a Japanese private railway in western Hyōgo Prefecture...
, Seibu RailwaySeibu Railwayis a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbreviation of "west Musashi," referring to the historic name for this area...
and Tokyu Corporation all use their own proprietary ATS systems.
New Zealand
In Wellington only a few signals at a converging junction are fitted with mechanical ATS. All electric trains are fitted.South Korea
Some KorailKorail
Korea Railroad Corporation , promoted as Korail , is the national railroad operator in South Korea.Korail operates passenger and freight trains throughout South Korea...
and subway
Subways in South Korea
Rapid transit subways operate in all of South Korea's seven major cities, except for Ulsan.* Seoul - Seoul Metropolitan Subway * Busan - Busan Metro...
lines are equipped with this system.
Technology
ATS systems can be mechanical, where an arm is raised on the track to engage a lever on the train to apply the brakes and cut the power. The mechanical systems around the world are generally incompatible. Mechanical systems are not suitable at high speeds, say greater than 110 km/h.ATS systems can also be non-contact magnetic or inductive. Again they tend to be incompatible. Non contact systems are suitable for high speeds.