Special edition paper Development and Update of ATOS Keiichi Ito* JR East has been proceeding with the introduction of the Autonomous Decentralized Transport Operation Control System (ATOS) to conventional lines in the greater Tokyo area. ATOS is a large-scale train operation control system that has been introduced to 19 lines in the greater Tokyo area in order, starting with the Chuo Line in 1996. As 15 years have passed since its introduction to the Chuo Line, we are going to launch a full-scale system update of ATOS in fiscal 2011. In the update, we will downsize and streamline hardware and software structures to optimize the total system, improve functionality and remove outdated devices. All this will be done while adopting the newest technologies. We will also make system modification easier to carry out and will reduce costs of renovation. •Keywords: ATOS, Autonomous Decentralized Transport Operation Control System, Autonomous decentralization, Operation control system, CTC, PRC 1 Introduction 2 Deployment of ATOS In December 1996, JR East first introduced to the Chuo Line JR East has, starting with the Chuo Line, so far deployed Tokyo–Kofu Section the Autonomous Decentralized Transport ATOS to 20 lines in the greater Tokyo area: the Chuo Line Operation Control System (ATOS) designed with the latest (local train line), Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tohoku/Negishi Line, technologies at the time (Fig. 1). The aim of that was to radically Sobu Line (local train line), Sobu Line (express train line), renovate transport control work for conventional lines in the Yokosuka Line, Tokaido Main Line, Tokaido Freight Line, greater Tokyo area and to create an ideal railway control system Joban Line, Joban Line (local train line), Tohoku Main Line, in the information age. Tohoku Freight Line, Takasaki Line, Kawagoe Line, Saikyo Line, ATOS adopts an autonomous decentralized system with Yamanote Freight Line, Nambu Line and Musashino Line. general-purpose computers located at stations for station devices. The lines to be provided with ATOS at the next update of It achieves train group control in ultra-high traffic density lines the operation control system include the Ome Line (Tachikawa– and automated route control including that for major terminal Ome), Itsukaichi Line, Yokohama Line and Keiyo Line. ATOS stations. ATOS also contributes to ability to provision of installation including update of interlocking devices of stations is highly reliable transport service, improvement of passenger planned to start in steps at those lines (Fig. 2, Table 1).1) services, sharing of operation information and improvement of effectiveness and safety of maintenance work. Jimbohara Koga Nasushiobara Musashi-Takahagi Omiya Musashi-Urawa Ome Hatori Haijima Ayase Toride Musashi-Itsukaichi Shin-Matsudo Ikebukuro Ueno Shinjuku Kofu Mitaka Hachioji Tachikawa Nishi-Kokubunji Tokyo Chiba Nishi-Funabashi Osaki Soga Shinagawa Fuchuhonmachi Machida Shin-Tsurumi Kawasaki Higashi- Kanagawa Legend Lines already using ATOS Ofuna Lines in ATOS plan Odawara Yugawara Kurihama Fig. 2 Present and Future Lines Using ATOS Fig. 1 Autonomous Decentralized Transport Operation Control System (ATOS) 52 JR EAST Technical Review-No.20 *Electrical & Signal Network System Dept., JR East Special edition paper Table 1 Lines and Sections Using ATOS control per station. In the phase where the line central unit is and Operation Start Date not yet installed, station PRC devices conduct automatic control based on the timetable input at each station (single station Central system № Line Section operation start date mode). After the line central units are set up, station PRC devices 1 Chuo Main Line Tokyo–Kofu conduct automatic control based on the timetable received from Chuo Line Dec. 14, 1996 the line central unit (central on-line mode). 2 Ochanomizu–Mitaka (local trains) By repeating (1)–(4) of Table 2, ATOS can be introduced to 3 Yamanote Line all sections individual lines in a phased manner. Keihin-Tohoku 4 Omiya–Yokohama Jul. 4, 1998 Table 2 Phased System Construction Line 5 Negishi Line Yokohama–Ofuna Phase Rough image Sobu Line (1) Construction of station devices for line A 6 Ochanomizu–Chiba May 29, 1999 (local trains) Automatic control in single station mode 7 Yokosuka Line Tokyo–Ofuna Sobu Line Sep. 30, 2000 8 Tokyo–(Chiba) Station device (express trains) (2) Construction of a network, a line central unit and 9 Tokaido Main Line Tokyo–Atami a common central unit for line A Tokaido Freight Sep. 29, 2001 10 Shin-Tsurumi–Odawara Common central unit Line 11 Joban Line Ueno–Hatori Line central unit Joban Line Feb. 14, 2004 12 (Ayase)–Toride (local trains) Ueno–Koga Dec. 19, 2004 Automatic control in central on-line mode 13 Tohoku Main Line Koga–(Kuroiso) Oct. 16, 2005 (3) Construction of station devices for line B 14 Takasaki Line Omiya–Jimbohara Tohoku Freight Dec. 19, 2004 15 Ikebukuro–Omiya Line Automatic control in single station mode Yamanote Freight 16 Megurogawa–Ikebukuro Line and Hebikubo–Osaki Jul. 31, 2005 17 Saikyo Line Ikebukuro–Omiya 18 Kawagoe Line Omiya–(Komagawa) Station devices of line section B 19 Nambu Line Tachikawa–Kawasaki Mar. 26, 2006 (4) Construction of line central unit for line B (7) Yokosuka Line Ofuna–Kurihama Nov. 1, 2009 Line central unit for line B Shin-Tsurumi (signal 20 Musashino Line Jan. 2012 station)–Nishi-Funabashi 21 Ome Line Tachikawa–Ome Haijima– 22 Itsukaichi Line Musashi-Itsukaichi (Planned) Higashi-Kanagawa– 23 Yokohama Line Hachioji Automatic control in central on-line mode 24 Keiyo Line To k y o – S o g a (Note) Station names in parentheses are stations not yet using ATOS. 2.2 Deployment to Lines Using CTC/PRC ATOS has been introduced to high traffic density lines in 2.1 Phased System Construction the greater Tokyo area that conventional operation systems As shown in Table 1, ATOS has been expanded in a phased (centralized traffic control (CTC)/PRC systems) are incapable of manner for more than ten years to become the unprecedented handling. It has also been introduced to some lines that are using massive operation control system that it is today. A railway CTC/PRC systems when those systems needed to be replaced due operation control system cannot be shut down for expansion to aging (part of the Saikyo Line and Yokosuka Line). If station since it needs to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Thus, PRC devices locally start operating when set up in those lines we build the ATOS system in a manner where we first install as described in the previous section, the station device system station equipment separately, then create a network and install would no longer be controllable by the central unit (CTC/PRC line central units and a common central unit after all station systems). Thus, to set up station devices for the lines using CTC/ equipment is set up and finally commence system operation in PRC systems, we have carried out automatic control by inputting the line (Table 2). In this way, the construction work can be control information from the CTC/PRC systems to the ATOS done without affecting lines in operation. type electronic interlocking devices via an input/output interface In each phase shown in Table 2, station programmed route panel. In this way, automatic control by the station PRC device control (PRC) devices of individual stations conduct automatic is “halted”, so the electronic interlocking device apparently JR EAST Technical Review-No.20 53 Special edition paper makes “manual” route control (actually “automatic” control by a survey of actual usage (Fig. 4) that was carried out in advance. the CTC). When starting ATOS operation for the line after As a result, we will reduce mainly functions used infrequently installing the line central unit, CTC control is stopped and (less than 1% of total use), and we expect a functional reduction replaced with automatic control by the station PRC devices.2) to approx. 2/3 of the total functions before renovation. (2) Dispatcher’s Board (CRT) Apparently manual Function halted CTC central unit route control Dispatcher’s boards (CRT) are extremely important devices to display information such as line occupation status. They Station PRC now have as many as around 500 types of image data such as screens showing a wider area of lines and magnified screens for Electronic CTC station device interlocking device individual stations. Those are one of the ATOS devices that require the most cost and labor at modification since track rearrangement work as well as improvement/elimination of even Input/output interface board a single small level crossing creates the needs for image data revision. At this modification, we will introduce a new screen Input control information from scaling function to streamline image data, and we expect a CTC to electronic interlocking device Signals, switches reduction to approx. 2/3 of the total image data before update. Fig. 3 Control Flow in a CTC/PRC-equipped Line [Number of times] Annual use of dispatcher’s board (GD) at Station System Construction 200X 200Y 3 Update of ATOS The equipment update time of operation control systems (PRC systems) is thought to be around 15 years after installation. In fiscal 2011, 15 years since ATOS installation to the Chuo Line, we are going to undertake a full-scale system update (replacement due to aging). The system update is not just to replace the aged system, Function 1 Function 2 but also to solve various problems of the present ATOS. The Function X Function Y application configuration and data communications between Reducing all functions of dispatcher’s board (GD) to 2/3 devices of ATOS has become too complex and massive due to repeated addition of devices and revision of software for Fig. 4 Streamlining of Dispatcher’s Board (GD) functional improvement, leading to increased incidents such as failures and omission of modification and to greater modification 3.2 Streamlining of System Composition costs.