Automatic train stop
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An automatic train stop is a system on a train that will automatically stop a train if certain situations happened (unresponsive train operator, earthquake, disconnected rail, train running over a stop signal, etc) to prevent accidents from happening.
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[edit] History
The first (mechanical) ATS system was installed in France in 1878. In 1880, most of the (later) Soviet Union started using ATS on its railway lines, the second country to be fitted with ATS. In 1921, Japan started using ATS on the Tokaido Main Line, the third country to do so.
Great Britain and America started using ATS in the 1920s, Germany adopted it in the 1930s and China first used it in the 1950s. By 1980, almost every railway used some form of ATS.
In 1954, Japan introduced ATS-B, the first known variant of ATS. In 1967, ATS-S (and its various supplements) was invented, the first non-contact-based ATS to be used; in 1974, ATS-P was used for the first time, and in 1986, H-ATS was invented. [1]
[edit] Usage around the world
[edit] USA
This system is required equipment in order for a train to exceed 79 mph. It was installed on the Northeast Corridor after the Chase, Maryland rail wreck. The system is also installed on some parts of tracks in the Western U.S., including portions of the Southwest Chief and Pacific Surfliner lines run by Amtrak.
[edit] Japan
Many trains in Japan are equipped with this system. Below is a list of ATS systems that are specific to Japan only:
- ATS-B (utilizes a unit that uses power from overhead catenaries to power the ATS-B system)
- ATS-S (ATS using S-type transponder, always supplemented with: ATS-SF, ATS-SK, ATS-SM, ATS-SN, ATS-ST or ATS-SW, the last two letters corresponding to the type of transponder used with the S-type transponder)
- ATS-P (ATS using pattern renewal transponder, variant is ATS-Ps) [2]
- H-ATS (used on the EF66 locomotive since 1986)
[edit] New Zealand
In Wellington only a few signals at a converging junction are fitted with mechanical ATS. All electric trains are fitted.
[edit] South Korea
Some Korail and subway lines are equipped with this system.
[edit] Technology
ATS systems can be mechanical, where an arm is raised on the track to engage a lever on the train to apply the brakes and cut the power. The mechanical systems around the world are generally incompatible. Mechanical systems are not suitable at high speeds, say greater than 110 km/h.
ATS systems can also be non-contact magnetic or inductive. [1] Again they tend to be incompatible. Non contact systems are suitable for high speeds.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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