A remote overhead de-energisation and earthing system for the Melbourne underground rail loop

The prompt entry of emergency services into the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop (MURL), in the event of a major incident, is critical to effective incident control and management. To facilitate this, Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) has installed a Remote Overhead De-energisation and Earthing System (RODES) for the MURL 1500VDC overhead traction contact wire system. The RODES system has reduced the time to de-energise and earth the overhead from over 45 minutes to under 2 minutes. Previously, MTM switching operators needed to physically travel to each isolating switch, open it and then apply shorting cables at the entrance to the affected tunnels. The RODES system achieves this remotely from the MTM Electrical Control Room. RODES comprises of sixteen remotely operated earthing switches installed in the East Melbourne and North Melbourne Substations and Melbourne Central and Southern Cross Tie Stations. The system activates white flashing strobe lights at each end of all the MURL underground station platforms to indicate when emergency services personnel can safely enter the tunnels. The system functionality allows for any one or all four of the tunnels to be earthed (short circuited), via an automatic sequence initiated from the supervisory control and indication system. The system also monitors if the strobe lights on each platform operate satisfactorily. This concept has the potential to be extended across the Melbourne Metropolitan Rail Network to facilitate significantly reduced switching times, for maximum time on-track to perform maintenance, repairs, and renewals.

• Record URL:
  https://railknowledgebank.com/Presto/content/Detail.aspx?ctID=MTk4MTRjNDUtNWQ0My00OTBmLTllYWUtZWFjM2U2OTE0ZDY3&rID=NDQyMw==&sID=Njg=&ph=VHJ1ZQ==&qcf=&rrtc=VHJ1ZQ==&bckToL=VHJ1ZQ==
• Authors:
  • Allen W
  • Donovan J
• Conference:
  • CORE 2016, Maintaining the Momentum, Conference on Railway Excellence, Melbourne, Victoria, 16-18 May 2016
• Publication Date: 2016

Media Info

• Pagination: 8p. ; PDF
• Monograph Title: Maintaining the momentum: CORE 2016: conference on railway excellence, 16-18 May 2016, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Incident management; Safety
• ATRI Terms: Incident management; Safety
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01636860
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ATRI
• Created Date: May 30 2017 3:29PM