Step 4 in Creating a CBTC ConOps: Determine System Operations

The first three steps focus on the needs of the individual user. In this step, the signalling system is viewed from 50,000 feet to determine the expected operational needs.

The operations of the system can be broken into two main categories: yard and mainline operations.

Yard Operations

How a CBTC system operates in the yard is an important topic because it answers how trains will enter/exit the mainline and how much automation will occur in the yard.

Some questions to answer are:

• Where is the CBTC Boundary - is the entire yard controlled by the CBTC system or a small portion and the rest is controlled by a conventional signalling system.
• Level of Automation - trains operating in the yard fully automated or operate in manual mode?
• Launching Trains - how are trains launched into the mainline? Does an operator bring trains to a common point from where the trains enter a CBTC mode and launch or do trains "wake up" in a storage lane and launch automatically in a CBTC mode?

Mainline Operations

Mainline operations is concerned with understanding what optimal service will look like, how to recover from failures and how the system will operate when crews are maintaining the line.

Some questions to answer are:

• Normal Operations - what type of patterns will the trains operate under, how are turn backs performed at the terminus stations.
• Modes of Operations - what are the mode operations for the system as well as for the train
• Recovering Failed Trains - what are the failures scenarios the CBTC system should handle and how will failed CBTC trains recover?
• Establishing Work Zones - How does the operator establish work zones where crews are performing maintenance?
• Work Cars- how will the CBTC system handle works cars. Will the work cars be equipped or treated as unequipped manual train.

These are generic topics that concern all operators and they're covered in the video below but there may be other categories unique to each operator which will surface when a Concept of Operations is written.

Click to watch the video.

Create your own Concept of Operation (ConOps) by downloading the ConOps template CBTCSolutions/Webinar

Download my white paper and learn about the 7 key CBTC functions Transit Operators must understand CBTCSolutions.ca/Whitepaper

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