Advanced TCS: Empowered Traffic & Wayside Control

Our client, a leading rail technology company, developed the comprehensive Train Control System (TCS) – integrating signaling, interlocking control, traffic supervision, and diagnostics — for deployment across the Scandinavian region. Upon delivery, it became evident that the system could be further optimized to enhance dispatcher decision-making and reduce issue response times. That’s where PSA came in.

Empower the traffic management and enable remote diagnostics and control of wayside devices – within the existing Train Control System.

Implement a set of interfaces to enable wheel diagnostics from a centralized traffic control platform; enhance the communication channel with wayside equipment.

To meet the client’s complex requirements, PSA delivered critical enhancements across three key system components: wheel diagnostics, interlocking monitoring, and signaling control subsystems.

First, we connected the wheel diagnostics tool to the centralized train traffic control platform, extending its control capabilities. This allowed dispatchers to initiate route requests and update assignments on wheel diagnostics directly from the centralized platform – eliminating the need to access external systems. To achieve this, we implemented:

• Control interface module

• A LAN-compatible communication protocol 

Our robust module integrated into the wheel diagnostics system comprehensively manages communication, allowing for connectivity loss identification. To support development in a remote setting, we built a full-featured traffic platform simulator for comprehensive testing and debugging. 

Next, the PSA team defined detailed requirements for IP-based communication between the interlocking system and both field devices and external rail signaling control equipment. This enabled:

• Remote diagnostics and updates for wayside devices 

• Remote rail signaling management 

As a result, the interactive, real-time traffic control platform has been enhanced with a new critical capability: centralized wheel diagnostics management, significantly streamlining operator decision-making. The IP-based communication channel enables rapid response to failures as they occur.

• Requirements Definition
• Software Development
• Onsite Implementation
• Unit Testing