RZD successfully tested a technology that allows transmitting the route directly to the train from the dispatch center. During the test, the driver did not have to manually enter the changed route — the data was received via radio channel into the safety and automatic driving system.
The tests took place on the railway in Sverdlovsk Oblast. According to the test scenario, the reception track for the locomotive was changed from the main track to a side track. The new route was sent from the dispatch center directly to the onboard systems via radio channel.
After that, the changed track number appeared on the onboard device screen. The automatic driving system independently calculated the speed and trajectory of movement along the new route. Driver intervention was not required for this, RZD added.
At the same time, the automation continued to take into account traffic light signals. During the test, the system stopped the train at a prohibitive signal and blocked departure.
Currently, the driver manually enters route data, following instructions from the station duty officer or train dispatcher. The onboard automation then checks the possibility of movement, considering traffic light indications and information about track occupancy, which is received via rails through tonal rail circuits. NIIAS already uses such circuits in railway automation and safety systems.
The NIIAS technology tested is one of the elements of a larger project to create a train movement control system via a digital radio channel. RZD reports that the project is currently being implemented on railway test sites.