Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering Volume 5 Issue 1 Railway Signalling and Interlocking with Enhance Safety System using PLC and SCADA Gaurav Kothari1*, Prof. M.P.S Chawla2* 1ME Student, 2 Associate Professor 1,2Department of Electrical Engineering 1,2Shri G.S Institute of Technology &Science, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India Email: [email protected], [email protected] Abstract The paper illustrates a design of railway signalling and interlocking with enhanced safety system using PLC and SCADA. The Indian railway is considered as the largest railway network in Asia, but there are few drawbacks which can be rectified by using railway signalling and interlocking system. In Indian railways, signalling and interlocking process is not completely au tomated, but being still managed by railway employees. During train crossing, there are ample works which are required by human interference, which causes problems in railway interlocking system like delay, collision, chain pulling, and passenger security etc. Hence, these problems can be solved by applying PLC and SCADA. The main task of interlocking is to provide a route request at suitable managing points and signals, which will not cause any collision. The proposed work are dependent on PLC, which are capable of performing signalling and interlocking process automatically which can even be changed, corrected and observed by using SCADA system, resulting in reduction of human involvement. Keywords: Interlocking, Signalling, Shunting, PLC, SCADA, RS-232. INTRODUCTION The second type of control room is larger In Indian railway signalling system, the than the first type of control room in which interlocking signal system helps to control many stations can be seen simultaneously collision condition through management of and controlled. Generally, the third type of tracks at junctions or crossings. Signalling control room is in the Railway Department appliances and tracks management are which is larger than the other type of collectively referred to as an interlocking control rooms, where inspection of the system. The interlocking paths are main functioning system of interlocking, connected one point to another point with emergency arrangement and new facility is point machines and signal which allow maintained[14,16,21,25]. trains during green signals[1,2]. LITERATURE SURVEY At present in India, there are only two This section is dedicated to the works done types of railway interlocking systems in this area in the post and what is the being used. First is route relay interlocking current scenario. (RRI) and second is computer based interlocking (CBI). The interlocking The main purpose of the paper [1] was to process is controlled through control automate the railway interlocking method. rooms, which are of three types. The first The entire work here is dependent on PLC. type of control room includes cabin and All the point machines, signals and railway station interlocking, in which station gate are controlled by the output of PLC. master and cabin man give signals to the SCADA has been used here to observe and trains on the specified routes carefully. control the complete work together. 1 Page 17-34 © MAT Journals 2019. All Rights Reserved Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering Volume 5 Issue 1 The paper [2] describes about the railway crossings. The signalling equipments and station control. When there is one or more tracks are referred to as an interlocking than one train is waiting on the station, the plant. An interlocking is designed, so that situation at that time has been considered it is improbable to display a signal to here. Crack detection and automatic proceed unless the route to be used is railway gate system have been used with proven to be safe[23,24]. railway interlocking. In general, still only two types of The main purpose of the paper [3] was interlocking in Indian Railways such as towards passenger safety. When the train Route relay interlocking (RRI) or goes inside a cave, then there should be Computer based interlocking (CBI) are automatic light generation at that time. If being used. any person is inside the cave or the train was stopped in the cave for some reason, Route Relay Interlocking (Rri) automatic light has been used for the Inside the Indian Railways, Panel safety of the passengers in that situation. Interlocking (PI) is normally used for small stations. Within this arrangement, The railway system is being automated in the points and signals are determined by the paper [4]. It has the status of railway the switches on the panel. Route relay interlocking, signalling, traffic gate control interlocking (RRI) system is generally and light signal, track crack, anti-collision, applied to large and busy stations. There changing track. are complex networks of trains, according to which all the processes are being EXISTING SYSTEMS handled very carefully. The control room In railway signalling, an interlocking handles the arrival and departure of trains system consists of signal equipment that and station master has set the point prevents opposing movements through machine and signals which give a proper system of tracks such as junctions or track to the train [5, 19]. Figure 1: Railway interlocking panel Diagram of RRI system [6]. 2 Page 17-34 © MAT Journals 2019. All Rights Reserved Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering Volume 5 Issue 1 Computer Based Interlocking (Cbi) or where the virtual relays (Software Solid State Interlocking Variables) are evaluated using the An Interlocking System consist of Interlocking equations, which is in Electronics system replacing traditional digitized form either as algorithms or state Mechanical Levers and Electro mechanical charts in the processor memory[7,15]. relays is called as Solid state Interlocking Solid state interlocking are required to (SSI) or Computer based interlocking replace the existing route relay system. Rules and control methods used in interlocking and Panel Interlocking the route relay interlocking system are also Systems. Since, the traditional systems are used in computer based interlocking very expensive and difficult to maintain as systems. The relays used to form the logic the huge number of relays and mechanical circuits in route relay interlocking is levers are used. Solid state interlocking are replaced by software variables. The field a better solution to the older systems, since inputs are collected by digital input cards it is easy to maintain as well the costing and outputs are given using digital output only is 1/4th cost of route relay cards. This method is done by a processor interlocking or panel interlocking[18,20] Figure 2: Railway interlocking panel Diagram of CBI system[8]. PROPOSED SYSTEM preference to first- superfast The main purpose of the proposed system train>passenger train>goods train. is to automate the train scheduling by 2) It can be a control platform using PLC. To analyze and observe the management by self. real time location of the trains, SCADA 3) It can manage the outer signals and system is being used. This makes crossing work easily. interlocking process not only accurate and 4) Many trains are also used for the fast, but also there will be no need to shunting work which can be done by create a control room at all stations. PLC easily. According to this project, four tasks automatically can be performed, such as: Working principle 1) Train can be moved from the first stop Generally even today, station master and to last stop by PLC and it can control cabin man handle the interlocking and all interlocking automatically with 3 Page 17-34 © MAT Journals 2019. All Rights Reserved Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering Volume 5 Issue 1 signalling work of the train. But even after station master has to only give input once, having complete arrangement done by which will go to the PLC, after which the railway, there is lot of shortcomings in the PLC gives its output according to the timer trains, due to which the railways and the circuit, and in this way complete task can passengers have to face many problems. be done without too much human According to the proposed system, the interference. Figure 3: Block diagram of the system METHODOLOGY Ujjain from Indore, where 4 trains operate The methodology adopted is discussed in a systematic automatic interlocking below. system. They will run according to PLC and SCADA and it’s railway map and Here, is the railway track of Maxi via properties are given below. Figure 4: Railway map Indore to Ujjain [9] Properties distance from one station to the next 1) According to the project, the equal station and at the same time, the goods distance between all the stations is train and superfast train will be at one considered. Mainly three trains will and a half times distance. run here with speed difference but 3) It means that the ratio will be - train's length will be equal. passenger 2: 3 goods train / superfast 2) As long as the passenger train is at a train. 4 Page 17-34 © MAT Journals 2019. All Rights Reserved Journal of Electrical and Power System Engineering Volume 5 Issue 1 Train arrival and departure schedule indore to Ujjain, at the same time, the In the runtime window, it can be Goods train depart from maksi to indore visualized that four trains are considered via dewas. After that, when the passenger which will run as follows: train arrives to mangalya gaon, the goods The passenger train will depart from train reaches dewas at the same time. Figure 5: Runtime window Indore to Ujjain. When the passenger train crosses the barlai station, then a superfast train is a departure from indore to maksi via ujjain. Figure 6: Runtime window Indore to Ujjain. 5 Page 17-34 © MAT Journals 2019.