CONTINUOUS AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROL FOR SAFETY AND CONTROL OF RAPID TRANSIT RAILWAYS

The emphasis on speed with safety is a necessary consideration in the planning of any railway signaling system. This article describes a system such as used with the operation of the 200 km/h passenger trains on the German Railways. The prerequisite emphasized for properly functioning signal systems is the interdependence existing between train spacing, train length, length of the protected sections and the speed over the route. A further development of the signal system described, where command information is constantly being imparted to the train through a special communications line, is the possibility of programmed automatic operation of these trains.