Implementation strategy for Train Collision Avoidance

System (TCAS) On Mumbai Central- Ahmedabad

section of Western Railway
Rahul A Hande
Chief Signal Engineer (II), Western Railway

Abstract of Rs. 530.5 Cr, are being replaced by indigenous

TCAS.
Present Train Operations on Indian Railways are
based on Trackside Signalling and Manual Control The overall scheme and implementation strategy for
of Operations. Though modern technology is being indigenous TCAS in Mumbai Central – Ahmedabad
adopted for interlocking components, Signalling sys- section (about 494 km) are discussed in this paper.
tems on IR have relied on the Loco Pilot to react to The constraints foreseen in the project and amicable
indication displayed to them by the line side Signals. solutions to mitigate the issues are covered. Efforts
World over, to reduce the risks created by Loco are made to make the paper a guiding document,
Pilot failure to respond to signal instruction, various that can be referred for planning and execution of
forms of warning devices and signal command en- this ambitious project of IR targeted for commis-
forcement systems have been developed, referred as, sioning by Dec’2022.
Automatic Train Protection (ATP) Systems. These
systems continuously monitor the actual Train speed
and enforce adherence to the maximum allowable 1 Objective
safe distance available (Movement Authority) to the
Trains. The work TPWS was sanctioned in 2010-11 on
Mumbai Central- Vadodara-Ahmedabad section
In a significant move, IR have decided to implement and was subsequently frozen in view of advent of
indigenously developed and RDSO approved TCAS ETCS Level-2. IR have now decided to implement
across Indian Railways in line with the strategy indigenously developed and RDSO approved TCAS
of adopting National Automatic Train Protection under National Automatic Train Protection (ATP)
(ATP) system for Hon’ble PM’s vision of Atmanir- system and go ahead with provision of TCAS in lieu
bar Bharat and go ahead with provision of TCAS of earlier sanctioned ETCS (European Train Control
in lieu of earlier sanctioned ETCS (European Train System). Accordingly, provisions of TPWS / ETCS
Control System). L2, are being replaced by indigenous TCAS. The
estimated cost is about Rs. 211 Cr. TCAS works
Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is an are also sanctioned over other routes of Western
indigenous Automatic Train Protection System Railway, which constitutes about 2363 km.
being developed by RDSO involving three Indian
vendors. The system alerts the Loco Pilot that the Automatic Block Signalling is already functional in
train is approaching a signal or PSRs and requires Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad section. Commission-
him to acknowledge the warning in case of over ing this major project by Dec’2022, is a great chal-
speeding. Otherwise, the system would initiate a lenge and it is necessary to carefully plan a de-
brake application after a pre-defined short delay. tailed strategy. With the experience gained from the
only commissioned project in South Central Railway
According to the decision, provisions of TPWS & (which is mostly in Absolute Block System), an at-
ETCS Level-2, which were initially included in the tempt is made in this paper, to cover overall TCAS
sanctioned work ”Mumbai Central-Virar-Vadodara- scheme and implementation strategy considering var-
Ahmedabad - Train protection system (500 rkm)”, ious factors of the Mumbai Central – Ahmedabad
approved under PH-33 in PB2010-11 at the cost section. The constraints foreseen in the project and
amicable solutions to mitigate the issues are covered. the status of all signal aspects, berthing track cir-
cuits & points of its yard, calculates the movement
authority of the locos and transmits the data over ra-
2 Scope dio to the loco TCAS. The Loco TCAS upon recep-
tion of the data from the Stationary TCAS, analyses
The study & the paper touches the basics of the the data received and supervises the train movement
TCAS system, principle of operation, features etc. in accordance with the data analysed. In the event
Various components and functionalities are covered of emergency situations, the system applies brakes
and explained with illustrations. Important param- thereby preventing collisions. The on-board Loco
eters of the system as detailed in the Specifications TCAS equipment also shows the speed, movement
and OEM manuals are reproduced for ready refer- authority, target distances, approaching signal as-
ences. A broad overview of planning of the TCAS in pects etc to the Loco Pilot.
Mumbai Central – Ahmedabad section, implemen-
tation challenges, various constraints and mitigation
measures have been studied & presented in the pa- 3.1 Principle of Operation
per. A focus is also kept on drawings & documen- The TCAS sub-systems are installed in stations
tation required for this work. Important technical known as Stationary TCAS and in locos known
aspects required during the installation of Station as Loco TCAS. Stationary TCAS unit comprises
TCAS are specially indicated. of STCAS Vital Computer, Field Interface Unit
(FIU), GPS/GNSS receiver, GSM, SM-OCIP, Radio
modems and Radio antennae. The Loco TCAS unit
3 Overview of Indigenous comprises of LTCAS Vital Computer, GPS/GNSS
TCAS receiver, speedometer unit, RFID Reader, LP-OCIP,
Brake interface unit (BIU), CAB-Input unit, Radio
TCAS will be provided on sections equipped with modems and Radio antennae. The Radio modems
Multi Aspect Colour Light Signalling and loco pilot establishes communication between the Station
will follow line-side signals as per prevalent operat- & Loco TCAS systems. GPS/GNSS is used to
ing rules. Provision of TCAS will be an additional provide time reference to Loco and Stationary
safety aid to the loco pilot to prevent consequences TCAS systems to perform Radio communication.
arising out of Signal Passing At Danger (SPAD),
to control train speed within specified limits, to Field inputs like all signals, Points, track circuits,
display Signal Aspect in Loco pilot’s cab and to berthing tracks from the RRI panel are wired to the
further reduce the probability of train collisions FIU. RFID tags with tag data are fixed on the sleep-
in block sections and on running lines at stations ers in station and block sections. The RFID Reader
through certain non-signalling based protections. fixed underneath the loco, reads the RFID data when
The operation of TCAS shall, in no way, infringe it comes in proximity.
/ overrule the rules of normal train operations on The Loco TCAS frames the information contain-
Indian Railways. ing its operating mode, absolute position, last
RFID tag, movement direction, train length, track
TCAS is required to be functional up to a maximum identification number as a single communication
train speed of 200 kmph. The Loco TCAS unit, packet and sends it to the Stationary TCAS unit
Stationary TCAS Unit, Network Management on Radio. Based on the status of the field inputs
System, Key Management System and RFID tags and the Loco TCAS location, the Stationary TCAS
shall adhere to the requirement of interoperability. calculates the Movement Authority for the Loco.
The Stationary TCAS also provides the necessary
It comprises of trackside equipment including Sta- information required to compute the Train length
tionary TCAS Unit and On-board equipment called by checking the sequence of the AT and BT track
Loco TCAS. It conforms to Safety Integrity Level circuits. Stationary TCAS communicates all this
SIL-4 as per CENELEC or equivalent standards. information to the Loco TCAS using the Station
Radio Modem. The Loco TCAS receives the data
Each Loco TCAS in the vicinity of the stationary transmitted by the Stationary TCAS on Radio and
TCAS, will communicate its position, speed, direc- travels in accordance with the received Movement
tion of movement with the stationary TCAS units Authority, Current Signal aspect and other infor-
on radio. The stationary TCAS systems will acquire mation received from the station. In the event of
 Figure 1: Train Collission Avoidance System (TCAS)

emergency situations, SOS signals are generated and 3.2 Operational Modes
the Loco TCAS applies emergency brake automat-
The TCAS loco equipment are capable of supervising
ically through BIU thereby preventing occurrence
the following operational modes:
of catastrophic events. LTCAS also displays
the speed, movement authority, target distances, 1. Stand By(SB)
approaching signal aspects etc on DMI for the pilots.
2. Staff Responsible(SR)

3. Limited Supervision(LS)
Loco unit calculates the location of the train between
two RFID tags dynamically based on the distance 4. Full Supervision(FS)
travelled from last RFID tag through speed sensing 5. Override(OV)
arrangement on Locomotive. Loco unit acts on data
from even one RFID tag out of duplicated tags, logs 6. On Sight(OS)
the missing RFID tag & transmit the same to NMS.
On not receiving any information from any one Nor- 7. Trip(TR)
mal RFID tag 50 m beyond the expected location,
8. Post Trip(PT)
Tag missing indication shall be displayed on DMI.
If two consecutive Normal RFID tags are not read, 9. Non Leading(NL)
Loco TCAS shall switch from Full supervision mode
to Limited supervision mode. 10. Reverse(RV)
11. Shunt(SH) Auto whistling on approach of Level Crossing
Gate - optional auto whistling to alert the road
12. System Failure(SF) users of approaching train.
13. Isolation(IS)

3.3 Features of TCAS 3.4 Components of TCAS

Trackside subsystem comprised of RFID tag,
Loco TCAS unit and Stationary TCAS unit
Stationary TCAS Unit, Tower and Antennae.
Self-Test - perform an automatic self-test when the
equipment is switched ON.
RFID Tags are fitted on sleepers between the rails,
in station section, point zones, near Signals & track
Operation modes - capable of supervising the 13
in block section for giving Trackside information
operational modes.
to Loco TCAS unit. It shall be duplicated with
Display of Signal Aspect - on DMI.
identical information.
Train Length Assignment - automatically calcu-
Frequency of operation :865-867 MHz
late train length by the loco TCAS unit on receiving
Programmable with minimum 128 bits (including
the required information from Stationary TCAS
CRC) of user data.
unit.
Shall have minimum IP 68 protection
Train location - determine the location of the train
with the help of RFID tag data and Speed sensor
RFID tags are categorized as follows:
output.
(a) Normal tag - provided in the block section &
Speed calculation and indication - Loco makes station section. The maximum distance between
speed profile/ brake curve for different situations the two normal tags shall not be more than 1000
based on movement authority, speed restriction m. Each Normal tag shall be linked to next two
and other information as received from Trackside normal tags in both the directions (Nominal &
sub-system. Reverse).

Prevention of Signal Passing at Danger (b) Signal foot tag - provided at foot of every signal
(SPAD) - supervise the movement authority based post
on the signal aspect, point position and the status
(c) Signal approach tag - provided before the ap-
of the berthing track circuit.
proach of (typically 150 2̃50m) every signal post
to correct the odometry error
Supervision of speed limits - supervise to static
and dynamic train speed profiles. (d) TIN Discrimination tag - used to indicate change
in the TIN of track section. Normally it will be
Prevention of Head on & Rear end Collisions placed at turnouts.
- preventing Head on & Rear end collisions in
Station as well as Block section. (e) LC gate tag (optional)
(f) Tunnel tag (for future use)
Prevention of Side Collision (infringement to
adjacent lines) in Block Section - automatically (g) TCAS Exit tag - territory exit point
generating SoS from a loco TCAS unit if it stops for
a specific amount of time (Default: 10s) in the block (h) Adjustment/Junction tag - to adjust the abso-
section. lute location in the block section. Junction tag
shall be provided, at the junction stations to cor-
Protection of Roll Back - detecting Roll Back of rect the absolute location.
the train through train interface. (i) Banner/Caution Indicator Tag at Temporary
Speed Restrictions (for future use)
Manual SoS generation/Cancellation - man-
ually generating and cancelling SoS from both Stationary TCAS Unit is comprised of Sta-
Stationary and Loco TCAS unit. tion/LC/IB TCAS Vital Computer including FIU,
Stationary TCAS Radio Unit, Remote Interface Unit
 Figure 2:

(RIU) & Station Master Operation and Indication The received signal strength should be better than
Panel (SM-OCIP) -85 dBm and packet error rate shall not exceed 5%
Station/LC/IB TCAS Vital Computer gener- throughout the Communication Mandatory Zones.
ates messages to be sent to the train on basis of in- Remote Interface Unit (RIU) is used where re-
formation received from interlocking inputs and on mote signalling functions are required to be fetched
basis of information exchanged with the Loco TCAS to a nearby Stationary TCAS unit. It utilises line
units. Vital Computer architecture is minimum 2 modems for communicating with stationary TCAS
out of 2. Real Time Clock synchronization facility unit over OFC/Quad cable in ring network. A sin-
with GNSS clock to synchronize with other TCAS gle RIU shall be capable of handling at least 32 field
systems in hot standby manner is provided. Ether- inputs. The ring topology arrangement for RIUs is
net/E1port and two GSM interfaces are for connec- shown in the following figure.
tivity with Network Management System (NMS) and
Key Management System.
Stationary TCAS Radio Unit is used for the
bi-directional exchange of messages between Loco
TCAS unit and Stationary TCAS units. The UHF
(406MHz to 470MHz) full-duplex radio communi-
cation unit have hot standby provision with sepa-
rate cable & antenna for each radio. The Stationary
TCAS unit shall allocate a Timeslot and Frequency
Channel pair for Communication with a particular
Loco unit. Typical arrangement is depicted in the
following figure. Antenna is a combination of ver-
tically polarized omni and/ or directional antennae.
The antenna cable & antenna tower is suitable to
provide a minimum range of 4.5 kms. Coaxial cable
suitable for UHF applications with 50W characteris- Figure 3:
tic impedance and losses within 1dB / 10m is used.
 Figure 4:

Station Master Operation and Indication

Panel consists of following indications/ buttons/ Loco TCAS Radio Unit consisting of two Radio
buzzers : a) Station Master’s Key b) LCD display Modems in hot standby with separate cables and
(4Linex20 char) c) SoS indication d) Health indica- antennae for each radio. The specifications is similar
tion e) Audio Buzzer f) Three Push Buttons (Com- to Stationary TCAS unit. It has provision to switch
mon, Generation and Cancellation) to generate and to other frequency channel. Loco unit Antenna is
cancel the SoS g) Electromechanical non-resettable Omni-directional & have vertical polarization with
6 digit counter for recording SoS operation. a gain of 3 dBi.

RFID Reader consisting of two RFID Reader

& Antenna in hot standby for getting the in-
formation from RFID tags fitted on the track.
It is reliable for working at Locomotive speed
up to 200 KMPH. RFID reader antenna is able
to read RFID tag from a vertical distance of 700 mm.

Driver Machine Interface (DMI) consist of

Figure 5: suitable display arrangement and buttons/ switches
for operation. The software of DMI is verified
On-board Sub-system (Loco TCAS Unit) is & validated to Safety Integrity Level (SIL) -2 of
comprised of Loco TCAS Vital Computer, RFID CENELEC or equivalent international standards.
readers, Loco TCAS Radio Unit, Driver Machine
Interface (DMI), Brake Interface Unit (BIU) Brake Interface Unit (BIU) shall apply normal,
service & emergency brakes of locomotives respec-
Loco TCAS Vital Computer supervises the tively based on the type of brake command received
movement of the train on basis of information from Loco TCAS unit.
exchanged with Stationary TCAS units and other
Loco TCAS units. Vital Computer architecture Network Management System is provided for
is minimum 2 out of 2. It has Real Time Clock Centralized monitoring of TCAS station and Loco
synchronization with GNSS clock to synchronize equipment. It is to be built on E1 interface available
with other TCAS systems in hot standby manner on Railtel OFC system. Using E1 interface, each
and two GSM interfaces for connectivity with NMS Stationary TCAS unit is connected to adjacent sta-
& KMS. tionary TCAS unit/Network Management System
 Figure 6: Figure 7:

to form a network. Centralized monitoring of a Number (Rs) and computes the session key Ks
group of stations is achieved by collecting signal and transmits the Access Authority message with
aspects, track occupancy, loco absolute position CBC-MAC code (Cipher Block Chaining Message
etc., from each of the Stationary TCAS. All relay Authentication Code). Access Authority message
information and radio packets exchanged between contains frequency pair and Random Number Rs.
Station and Loco are logged in Central Server and Loco TCAS unit then compute the session key Ks. If
accessed through NMS. Stationary TCAS units shall CBC-MAC is successful, Loco starts communicating
communicate with NMS unit using the Stationary the regular packet and stops sending the Access
TCAS NMS Packet Structure defined in RDSO Request Packet. When Stationary TCAS receives
Specification using Ethernet protocol over this the Loco regular packet, it stops communicating
network. the Access Authority message and initiates the
Stationary regular packet and static speed profile
packet transmission.
3.5 Radio Communication Multiple Access scheme and Radio com-
Radio Communication Security and Key Manage- munication protocol - Communication shall be
ment System (KMS) is built on AES (Advanced En- Over-The-Air using Multiple Access having frame
cryption Standard)-128 security coding to ensure se- cycle 2000 milli seconds. Full duplex communication
cured communication between Stationary and Loco in frequency range of 406MHz to 470MHz is used.
TCAS Units. Radio Communication uses crypto- TCAS shall use transmit frequency (f0) in block
graphic techniques with security keys. Key is a se- section and at the times of emergency situations.
quence of 128 bits. Authentication key, used to es- Stationary TCAS and Loco TCAS use their respec-
tablish a safe connection between Stationary & Loco tive timeslot(s) in the Multiple Access.
TCAS units, will be communicated by KMS to all
Loco and Stationary TCAS units and it will have The TDMA frame cycle is divided into basic 78 time
valid time period for its usage. Key Management slot position markers (position nos. 1 to 78) each
System would be centralized for Indian Railways. of width 352 bits (18.33 m-sec). These are spaced
Session key, used for protection of data transfer be- 96 bits (5 m-sec) apart except for the four wider
tween Stationary & Loco TCAS units, will be com- time slots to ensure proper frequency stabilization
puted by Loco TCAS and Stationary TCAS units on change.
at the time of establishment of communication ses-
sion. KMS shall maintain 30 sets of Authentication
Keys having validity period of not be less than 120 4 Challenges & Strategy for In-
days. All the TCAS systems use GPRS to communi- stallation of TCAS in Mum-
cate with KMS. Process flow for authentication keys
transmission is depicted in following diagram. bai Central – Ahmedabad
Process Flow: On entering into Communication section
Zone of Stationary TCAS, Loco TCAS unit sends
the Access Request packet to Stationary TCAS Mumbai Central - Ahmedabad section passes
system in “f0” frequency. On receiving the packet, through three divisions namely Mumbai Central,
Stationary TCAS unit generates its own Random Vadodara and Ahmedabad. The entire section
 Figure 8:

Figure 9:

is equipped with Automatic Signalling. There Figure 10:

are 104 interlocked stations provided with Route
Relay Interlocking, Panel Interlocking & electronic
Interlocking of various make. Track detection for the requirement of coverage of 3 signals in com-
technology used is DC Track circuit (DCTC), Audio munication mandatory zone of the STCAS on either
Frequency Track Circuit (AFTC) and Digital Axle side (explained in the following paragraph).
Counters (MSDAC / HASSDAC / SSDAC). Total
176 interlocked LC gates are protecting the Road
traffic. Division-wise details are depicted in the
following table.

4.1 Station TCAS, RIUs, Cable &

Power Supply Requirement
Since there are 104 stations in the Mumbai Central
– Ahmedabad section, total 104 STCAS will be re-
quired for the stations. In addition, 34 additional
STCAS need to be provided in mid section to cater Figure 11:
A typical STCAS 19” rack is depicted in above each. Both should be provided with OEM specified
figure. It is to be installed in the Relay room and & RDSO approved 10A DC MCB and surge protec-
to be interfaced with interlocking circuits. 600 mm tion along with EMI filter at the input. The power
space need to be left vacant around the rack for supply shall be extended on duplicated cable of min-
installation & maintenance movement area. Thus, imum 10 sq mm on diverse path. The voltage drop
about a space of 6 ft x 6 ft is recommended for on the cable should not exceed 1.0 volt.
the STCAS rack. Relay contacts being connected There are 88, 48 & 3 Auto Relay Huts in Mumbai
to TCAS shall have parallel contact to minimise Central, Vadodara & Ahmedabad divisions respec-
failures due to Relay contact resistance. For this, tively in the section under consideration. It totals
there shall be additional requirement of relays and 139 Auto relay huts. All these will be equipped with
racks. Most of the stations on Mumbai Central Relay interface Units (RIUs). The Stationary TCAS
– Ahmedabad route are old installations and a units shall be connected with neighbouring stations
preliminary survey revealed that adequate space and Auto huts RIUs over redundant OFC to be
may not be available at all the stations. A provision laid, on diverse paths to ensure high availability.
for additional room adjacent to the existing relay Tapping the existing Railtel OFC at the mid-section
room shall be planned at such stations after a with provision of STM and associated power supply
detailed survey. arrangement may not be a viable option from main-
tenance point of view. Laying of separate OFC for
Vide RDSO TAN STS/E/TAN/5001dt 20.2.2019, such locations on redundant path will be preferable.
numbering scheme for STCAS zone wise has been Thus about 1000+ km OFC laying is involved along
released. First two digits for Western Railway are the tack on either side to ensure high availability on
24 - 26. The last three digits shall be decided by this 494 km section which is a very challenging task.
WR. Following format is proposed for the number- Short haul Radios may be explored.
ing scheme for STCAS on WR.
Similarly, the communication with Radio Tower
shall be through redundant OFC and redundant
power cable for power supply on diverse paths.

1x12C signalling cable and 1x10p telecom cable shall

be laid from the STCAS equipment to SM-OCIP
to be installed in the panel room. 1 x 10p cable
from STCAS to OFC room will be laid for NMS
connectivity.
Figure 12:
The Earth Electrode and its details of in-
Thus, Mumbai Central will have number : 24-1-01, stallation shall be as per clause no 8.1 of
Ahmedabad : 24-3-03 etc. RDSO/SPN/197/2008. The TCAS rack should be
connected with shortest path with common earth bus
The Station TCAS system requires 110V DC input bar in the relay room. Also, doors of the rack should
at two locations, namely, TCAS sub-system in be earthed using copper braids. One of the OEM has
Relay Room and the Radio sub-system at location specified earthing value limits as follows.
box near Radio tower. The Power supply for the Stationary TCAS Equipment less than or equal to 1
Stationary TCAS may be taken from the 110V DC Ohms 3 legs of RF Tower, Location Box, All cables
of existing IPS system of the station depending from TCAS unit less than or equal to 2 Ohms
upon the load requirement specified by the OEM.
Normally, the existing IPS will be able to cater In terms of RDSO Specification
the additional load of the STCAS. 110V DC of RDSO/SPN/196/2012 Ver 3.2 Para [Link].3.6,
existing IPS system available at all Stations & Auto [Link].2 & [Link].3 - The communication manda-
Relay huts except at Mumbai – Virar Suburban tory zone for a stationary TCAS unit shall include
& Vadodara – Ahmedabad. Replacement work in at least two RFID tags prior to a distance of 1
progress in Vadodara – Ahmedabad includes IPS. km from first approaching signal of the respective
stationary TCAS unit.
Both the power inputs are to be taken from Sta-
tion IPS through two separate Fuses of 10 Amp A minimum range of communication approximately
 Figure 13:

Figure 14:

1.5 km on approach of first signal of the Station- to be provided at suitable mid-section approachable
ary TCAS unit (typically 4.5 kms in case of Double- locations preferably at LC Gate relay huts. The
Distant territory) is required. Further in case of Au- longest block section is 12.2 km, hence there will
tomatic Signal territory, at least 3 signals shall be not be need of two mid-section TCAS in one block
common to both the adjacent STCAS as depicted section.
in the following figure, to ensure continuous updat-
ing of Movement Authority & to avoid unnecessary To bring these mid-section STCAS on the network,
breaking. OFC communication is required. OFC laid for RIUs
In view of this requirement, additional Station located at each Auto Relay Hut shall be extended
TCAS with Tower & Antenna shall be required, if for the mid-section TCAS.
the distance between two STCAS is more than 6 km
and one more if it exceeds 12 km. In Mumbai Cen- 4.2 Tower & Antenna for STCAS
tral – Ahmedabad section, there are 34 such block
sections where station to station distance is more 138 towers are required in the section as per pre-
than 6 km and less than 12 km for which additional liminary assessment. As per the RDSO Specifica-
STCAS with Tower & Antenna arrangement need tion, minimum height of self-supported tower recom-
 Figure 15:

mended is 40m. Mumbai suburban area is full of high

rise buildings that obstruct the radio signals. Also
curvatures and terrain will be important aspects. A
careful Radio signal survey will be necessary. De-
signing of towers is a specialised subject. The design
shall be validated by designated IIT/NIT or equiva-
lent Government department and approval of Chief
Bridge Engineer is necessary for safety. The design
of tower and foundation shall consider Wind velocity,
soil bearing capacity, tower site, Ladder, Platform,
Staging, Aviation Lamp and Earthing arrangement.
WPC, SACFA clearances shall be obtained.

5 Loco TCAS & BIU Figure 16:

Over Western Railway, the total loco holding is 934
out of which diesel loco holding is 460 (including 33
shunting locos) and electric loco holding is 474.
Diesel Loco holding on WR
There are total five Diesel Loco Sheds located at
Vatva, Ratlam, Sabarmati, Bandra & Gandhidham
Electric Loco holding on WR
There are total four Electric Loco Sheds located
at Valsad, Vadodara, Vatva & Ratlam.
There are total 16 different types of loco on WR
(9 diesel + 7 electric). Diesel loco sheds at Vatva,
Ratlam & Sabarmati handle most of the diesel loco
types and similarly, Electric loco sheds at Valsad
& Vadodara handle most types of the locos. Thus, Figure 17:
these sheds need to be equipped with Installation
kit & Test bench for testing Loco TCAS unit while
leaving the loco shed to ensure the functioning of locations of Station centre line, tags, LC gates, sig-
Loco TCAS components such as brake interface nals and turnout switches shall be mentioned on the
unit, RFID Reading and communication capability. RFID layout. The centre of Station Master’s panel
shall be taken as station’s Centre Line for reference
At present, provision of only 90 locos is being made purpose. RDSO Specification RDSO/SPN/196/2012
in the estimate based on the requirement given by Ver 3.2 shall be followed for placement of RFID tags.
the Electrical department. This need to be enhanced A single TIN section shall be represented using a
appropriately with a proper review to derive the single colour. The TINS in vicinity shall be repre-
maximum benefits of the system. Suburban system sented in different colours. Non-TCAS territory shall
is not included and shall work on the existing be represented through white colour. Tag numbers
Auxiliary Waring System (AWS). Decision need (values in the range of 1 –1023) and TIN numbers
to be taken to go ahead with TCAS in suburban (values in the range of 1-127) shall be allotted. Suffi-
also as AWS is overaged and spares are not available. cient spares for future needs shall be taken into con-
sideration while allotting the numbers. The allotted
numbers shall also be mentioned on the RFID tag-
TIN layout.
5.1 RFIDs
A typical Station & Auto section RFID tag-TIN lay-
About 22830 RFID Tags are estimated for the Mum- out are shown below.
bai Central – Ahmedabad section after a preliminary TCAS control tables are very important docu-
assessment. Kit for configuring, programming and ment. It shall be based on the SIP and ap-
downloading RFID Tag data shall be provided at 7 proved RFID tag-TIN layout. RDSO Specifica-
locations viz 3 for Mumbai Central & Vadodara di- tion RDSO/SPN/196/2012 Ver 3.2 shall be followed.
visions each and 1 for Ahmedabad division for faster TCAS control table shall include all signals which
execution and future maintenance activities. Utmost will be monitored by a specific stationary TCAS unit.
care needs to be taken while placing the RFID tags. In case of permissive signals, where the inputs for sig-
Errors shall be eliminated by multiple level checks. nal indications are available, the ECR shall be used
for the purpose of displaying signal aspect. How-
ever, movement authority shall be decided based on
5.2 NMS & KMS
the signal aspect of the approaching Stop Signal. Ex-
Network Management System for Centralized moni- ample of TCAS TOC is given below.
toring of TCAS station and Loco equipment shall TCAS Wiring diagram, Configuration details, RFID
be provided at divisional headquarters preferably in Tag TIN Layout, TCAS TOC etc shall be part of
control office. E1 interface available in the section the Circuit diagram of the station. It shall be kept
on Railtel OFC system shall be used. To house at all the designated locations i.e. HQ & Divisional
the NMS adequate space shall be required in the Drawing office, SSE’s Office, Station relay Room
Divisional Control office where all concerned con- etc. The approved Original Tracings and soft copies
trollers can access the real time movement of TCAS PDFs etc shall also be preserved in HQ Drawing
equipped trains and location of non TCAS trains office.
as per the track occupancy. Also, this centralised
system will be a great assistance for diagnostics, Clearance / licences for the Radio frequency spec-
maintenance as well as initial testing of the system. trum (Full duplex 406MHz to 470MHz) & Tower
Key Management System (KMS) shall be hosted need to be obtained from Wireless Planning and Co-
by RCIL as a centralised system for IR. Necessary ordination (WPC) & Standing Advisory Committee
charges shall be borne by WR for their portion. on Radio Frequency Allocation (SACFA) wing of
the Ministry of Communications. The detailed
procedure is available on the “[Link]” website.
5.3 Drawings, Documentation &
Clearances
5.4 Testing
RFID tag-TIN layouts for Station/IB/LC or
block sections shall be prepared with Station yard Factory Acceptance test Station TCAS Appli-
layout as reference, the actual site considerations, cation Logics shall be carried ou at the OEM’s
site survey to mark the locations for tags. RFID setup. The OEM shall provide arrangements for
tag-TIN layout need not be up to scale. Absolute simulation of the field conditions and the response
 Figure 18:

Figure 19:

output to be documented in reference to TCAS as well as corresponding data may be analysed for
TOC. The FAT shall be verified by Railway Officials. a substantial duration before commissioning the
system. A detailed testing procedure need to be
In Site Acceptance Test, the functional tests shall drafted in consultation with OEM & RDSO to
be carried out to demonstrate that the complete ensure full proof testing.
TCAS system operates correctly in accordance with
the specification, in actual field conditions and that
the local configuration of data is correct. Where
necessary, input conditions shall be simulated. 6 Conclusion
The SAT is more challenging due to coordination
required with various departments especially Opera- Implementing indigenously developed and RDSO
tions, for movement of TCAS equipped Loco under approved TCAS across Indian Railways in line
various required conditions in the entire section with the strategy of adopting National Automatic
to test each aspect of every signal and RFID Tag Train Protection (ATP) is the need of the hour, for
correspondence. This necessitates affecting the safety of train operations. TCAS has all essential
punctuality. To mitigate this issue, TCAS locos safety features for ATP functionalities. It has also
may be allowed to run and the LP/ALP feedback been tested and safety approved for speed up to
 Figure 20:

160 Kmph. Performance of the system has been by Signal Directorate, Research, Designs &
satisfactory over the South Central Railway. TCAS Standards Organisation, Ministry of Railways,
can be further developed to make it a Premium Manak Nagar, Lucknow – 226 011
Export product in the field of Modern Railway
2. Technical Advisory Note for System Improve-
Signalling for exporting to both developing and
ments regarding installation of Stationary Train
developed countries.
Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), Document
No. STS/E/TAN/5001, Ver 1.0, Date 20.2.2019
Production capacity (presently there are 3 vendors)
will have to be increased through vendor devel- 3. Presentation document of Signal Directorate,
opment. Additional space for STCAS, Design & Research, Designs & Standards Organisation,
Installation of towers & Additional space for NMS Ministry of Railways, Manak Nagar, Lucknow
in control office can be entrusted to Engineering de- – 226 011
partment to expedite execution process. 1000+ km
OFC laying on redundant path is a critical activity. 4. Minutes of Meeting with Honb’le MR held on
Clearances for frequency spectrum & towers can be 04th July, 2020 to discuss issues related to Sig-
piloted at higher hierarchy. Additional drawings / nal & Telecom Directorate, issued vide RB No.
documentation approvals need to be carefully done 2020/Sig/25/MR Meeting/1 dated 24.7.2020
for error free installation. Extensive testing & trials 5. Detailed Project Report For “Provision Of In-
will be very important for reliable working of the digenous Train Collision Avoidance System On
system. Detailed procedure is necessary for error Low Density Railway Network Of Western Rail-
free testing & trials. way. (Umbrella Work 2020-21) DPR No.
CSTE/Plg./WR/01/2020
Expanding TCAS loco base need to be taken up on
priority for maximum benefit from the system. Also, 6. Overview Of Train Collision Avoidance System
TCAS for suburban system is needed. (MCA110) Ver 1.1 of M/s Medha
7. Revised Estimate for Provision of Indigenous
Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) in
7 References lieu of ETCS Level-2 to achieve Automatic Train
Protection in MMCT-BRC-ADI section.
1. Specification of Train Collision Avoid-
ance System (TCAS) Specification No. 8. Stationary TCAS Installation Manual, Docu-
RDSO/SPN/196/2012 Version 3.2 issued ment Number: 5 16 75 0021 Version: 1.1 Date
 Published: 31-05-2017 Prepared by HBL Power
Systems Ltd Hyderabad
9. Train Collision Avoidance System (Manual
Suite) Document #: 5 16 76 0004 V1.0 by HBL
Power Systems Ltd Hyderabad

10. Volume V Maintenance & Trouble Shooting

Manual of Station TCAS, Document No. KMIL:
TCAS: MM-S Version. 1.1, by M/s Kernex Mi-
crosystems (India) Ltd. Hyderabad

11. Volume IV Station TCAS Installation Manual,

Document No. KMIL: TCAS: IM-S Version.
1.1, by M/s Kernex Microsystems (India) Ltd.
Hyderabad

Shri. Rahul A. Hande is

an officer of Indian Railway
Service of Signal Engineer,
1998 batch. He studied
Bachelor of Engineering
(Electronics Engineer-
ing) from Visveswaraya
Regional College of Engi-
neering, Nagpur (renamed
as Visveswaraya National
Institute of Technology). He worked at HCL Infos-
ystems Ltd before joining the IR. He has 20 years of
experience of working on Indian Railways. He had
held various positions in open line, construction,
drawing & design and headquarters at various places
on Central, North Central, South East Central and
Western Railway.

He has considerable experience of execution & com-

missioning of Automatic Signalling, Gauge Conver-
sion, Yard remodelling, Railway Electrification works
apart from maintenance of signalling & telecom as-
sets. His prominent contributions are setting up of
Signal & Telecom Training Centre at Nainpur, Bi-
laspur RRI Yard remodelling and 100+ km Auto-
matic Signalling work. Presently he is working as
Chief Signal Engineer (II) at Western Railway