Conceptual Foundations of the Synthesis of Safe Train Traffic Control Systems

The article analyses the problem of synthesis of the systems of safe control of critical technological processes on the example of railway automation and remote control systems.

It is shown that modern control systems for complex distributed systems, such as a railway transport system, are not implemented with absolute safety. The safety of such systems is limited by considering only their own failures, external failures of control systems and their components, as well as failures of infrastructure objects that directly interact with control devices. Other infrastructure facilities are not considered in any way during automatic control and data transfer to on-board automation.

The objective of the article is to present theoretical concept of the synthesis of safe train traffic control systems, considering the capacity of equipping infrastructure facilities with highly reliable and safe means of technical diagnostics and monitoring.

A shown simplified structure of the central train traffic control centre considers the results of diagnosing and monitoring all the components of the transportation process.

The conditions for the synthesis of completely safe train traffic control systems are formulated along with the accompanying tasks. A comprehensive accounting of the parameters of railway infrastructure facilities and rolling stock will allow reaching a qualitatively higher level of train traffic safety.

1. Gavzov, D. V., Sapozhnikov, V. V., Sapozhnikov, Vl. V. Methods for ensuring safety of discrete systems [Metody obespecheniya bezopasnosti diskretnykh sistem]. Avtomatika i telemekhanika, 1994, Iss. 8, pp. 3−50. [Electronic resource]: http://www.mathnet.ru/php/archive.phtml?wshow=paper&jrnid=at&paperid=3949&option_lang=rus. Last accessed 26.02.2022.

2. Sapozhnikov, V. V., Sapozhnikov, Vl. V., Khristov, Kh. A., Gavzov, D. V. Methods for constructing safe microelectronic systems for railway automatics: Monograph [Metody postroeniya bezopasnykh mikroelektronnykh sistem zheleznodorozhnoi avtomatiki: Monografiya]. Ed. by Vl. V. Sapozhnikov. Moscow, Transport publ., 1995, 272 p. ISBN 5-277-01690-2.

3. Lisenkov, V. M. Statistical theory of train traffic safety [Statisticheskaya teoriya bezopasnosti dvizheniya poezdov]. Moscow, VINITI RAS publ., 1999, 331 p. ISBN 5-900242-29-3.

4. Bestemyanov, P. F. Methods for ensuring the safety of hardware of microprocessor-based train control systems. Elektrotekhnika, 2020, Iss. 9, pp. 2−8. [Electronic resource]: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=44000551 [access restricted for subscribers].

5. Railway Signalling and Interlocking: International Compendium. 3ed ed. Eds.: Dr. G. Theeg, Dr. S. Vlasenko. Germany, PMC Media House GmbH, 2020, 560 p. ISBN 978-3-96245-169-1.

6. Joung, Eui-jin; Lee, Changmu; Lee, Hanmin; Kim, Gildong. Software Safety Criteria and Application Procedure for the Safety Critical Railway System. 2009 Transmission & Distribution Conference & Exposition: Asia and Pacific, 26−30 October 2009, Seoul, Korea (South), pp. 1−4. DOI: 10.1109/TD-ASIA.2009.5356897 [access restricted for subscribers].

7. Markov, D. S., Nasedkin, O. A., Manakov, A. D., Vasilenko, M. N., Kotenko, A. G., Belozerov, V. L. Method for Assessing Probabilistic Reliability Estimation and Safety of Railway Automation Systems Redundant Structures. Proceedings of 18th IEEE East-West Design & Test Symposium (EWDTS’2020), Varna, Bulgaria, September 4 – 7, 2020, pp. 356−361. DOI: 10.1109/EWDTS50664.2020.9224925 [access restricted for subscribers].

8. Huang, Lujiang. The Past, Present and Future of Railway Interlocking System. IEEE 5th International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Engineering (ICITE), 11−13 September 2020, pp. 170−174. DOI: 10.1109/ICITE50838.2020.9231438 [access restricted for subscribers].

9. Qian, Jinlong; Guo, Wei; Zhang, Hongtao; Li, Xiaona. Research on Automatic Test Method of Computer-Based Interlocking System. International Conference on Communications, Information System and Computer Engineering (CISCE), 3–5 July 2020, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pp. 298−302. DOI: 10.1109/CISCE50729.2020.00066 [access restricted for subscribers].

10. Sapozhnikov, Vl. V. Synthesis of train traffic control systems at railway stations with the exception of dangerous failures [Sintez sistem upravleniya dvizheniem poezdov na zheleznodorozhnykh stantsiyakh s isklyucheniem opasnykh otkazov]. Moscow, Nauka publ., 2021, 229 p. ISBN 978-5-02-040877-7.

11. Efanov, D. V. Functional control and monitoring of railway automation and telemechanics devices [Funktsionalniy control i monitoring ustroistv zheleznodorozhnoi avtomatiki i telemekhaniki]. St. Petersburg, PGUPS publ., 2016, 171 p. ISBN 978-5-7641-0933-6.

12. Fritz, C. Intelligent Point Machines. Signal+Draht, 2018 (110), Iss. 12, pp. 12−16. [Electronic resource]: https://

13. eurailpress-archiv.de/SingleView.aspx?show=469469&lng=en [access restricted for subscribers].

14. Heidmann, L. Smart Point Machines: Paving the Way for Predictive Maintenance. Signal+Draht, 2018, Iss. 9, pp. 70−75. [Electronic resource]: https://eurailpress-archiv.de/SingleView.aspx?show=325895&lng=en [access restricted for subscribers].

15. Efanov, D., Lykov, A., Osadchy, G. Testing of relaycontact circuits of railway signalling and interlocking. Proceedings of 15th IEEE East-West Design & Test Symposium (EWDTS’2017), Novi Sad, Serbia, September 29–October 2, 2017, pp. 242−248. DOI: 10.1109/EWDTS.2017.8110095 [access restricted for subscribers].

16. Wernet, M., Brunokowski, M., Witt, P., Meiwald, T. Digital Tools for Relay Interlocking Diagnostics and Condition Assessment. Signal+Draht, 2019 (111), Iss. 11, pp. 39−45. [Electronic resource]: https://eurailpressarchiv.de/SingleView.aspx?show=1136153&lng=en [access restricted for subscribers].

17. Bestemyanov, P. F. Methods for ensuring safety and reliability of microprocessor devices of railway automation and telemechanics [Metody obespecheniya bezopasnosti i nadezhnosti mikroprotsessornykh ustroistv zheleznodorozhnoi avtomatiki i telemekhaniki]. Proceedings of the international symposium «Reliability and quality», 2007, Vol. 2, pp. 273−274. [Electronic resource]: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=15619177. Last accessed 26.02.2022.

18. Bochkov, K. A., Sivko, B. V. Selection and determination of the safety function in verification of microprocessor systems of railway automation and telemechanics [Vybor i opredelenie funktsii bezopasnosti pri verifikatsii mikroprotsessornykh sistem zheleznodorozhnoi avtomatiki i telemekhaniki]. Nadezhnost, 2014, Iss. 2 (49), pp. 101−108.

19. Markov, D. S., Nasedkin, O. A. Tool for assessing the probabilistic indicators of reliability and safety of railway automation systems [Instrumentalnoe sredstvo otsenki veroyatnostnykh pokazatelei nadezhnosti i bezopasnosti sistem zheleznodorozhnoi avtomatiki]. Izvestiya Peterburgskogo universiteta putei soobshcheniya, 2020, Vol. 17, Iss. 1, pp. 23−34. DOI: 10.20295/1815-588Х-2020-1-23-34.

20. Kovkin, A. N. Relay-semiconductor circuit switching in safe interface units based on electromagnetic relays. Transport Urala, 2020, Iss. 2, pp. 31−35. DOI: 10.20291/1815-9400-2020-2-31-35.

21. Bochkov, K. A., Komnatny, D. V. Ensuring functional and information safety of microelectronic traffic control systems, taking into account new types of threats. Vestnik Belorusskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta transporta: Nauka i transport, 2020, Iss. 2 (41), pp. 4−8. [Electronic resource]: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=44780175. Last accessed 26.02.2022.

22. Efanov, D. V., Osadchy, G. V., Aganov, I. A. Linking control systems with technical means of diagnosis and monitoring the infrastructure facilities. Avtomatika, svyaz, informatika, 2021, Iss. 6, pp. 25−29. DOI: 10.34649/AT.2021.6.6.004 [access restricted for subscribers].

23. Efanov, D. V., Osadchii, G. V., Aganov, I. A. Barrier function of the monitoring systems in connection with train movement management systems. Transport Rossiiskoi Federatsii, 2021, Iss. 3, pp. 51−56. [Electronic resource]: https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=46683409 [access restricted for subscribers].

24. Efanov, D., Osadchy, G., Aganov, I. Fundamentals of Implementation of Safety Movement of Trains under Integration of Control Systems with Hardware for Railway Infrastructure Facilities Monitoring. Proceedings of 11th IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Data Acquisition and Advanced Computing Systems: Technology and Applications (IDAACS’2021), Cracow, Poland, September 22−25, 2021, Vol. 1, pp. 391−396. DOI: 10.1109/ IDAACS53288.2021.9660985 [access restricted for subscribers].

25. Sapozhnikov, V. V., Sapozhnikov, Vl. V. On the synthesis of finite automata with the exclusion of dangerous failures [O sinteze konechnykh avtomatov s isklyucheniem opasnykh otkazov]. Avtomatika i telemekhanika, 1972, Iss. 8, pp. 93−99. [Electronic resource]: http://www.mathnet.ru/php/archive.phtml?wshow=paper&jrnid=at&paperid=8917&option_lang=rus. Last accessed 26.02.2022.

26. Shannon, C. E., McCarthy, J. Automata Studies. In: Annals of Mathematics Studies, Vol. 34. Princeton, New Jersey, Prinston University Press, 1956, 285 p. ISBN 9780691079165.

27. Smith, D. J., Simpson, K. G. L. Functional safety: A Straightforward Guide to IEC 61508 and Related Standards. 2nd ed., Simpson, Elsevier, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK and Burlington, MA, 2004, 263 p. ISBN 978-0750652704.