International Railway Journal - October 2008 - (Page 32) Signalling Japan points the wa While Europe moves slowly towards ERTMS Level 3, JR East has already tested its equivalent, ATACS, and is moving towards deployment of this advanced signalling system, as Yuichi Baba and Dr Tetsunori Hattori explain. T HE benefits of radio-based moving block signalling have been debated for many years, but until recently, the technical challenges of providing a robust and safe system have proved too demanding for widespread implementation. In Europe, development of Level 3 of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is underway with little sign of finished hardware, but JR East is forging ahead with its own equivalent, called advanced train administration and communications system (ATACS) In Japan, most signalling is based on lineside equipment, as is the case in many other countries, but by shifting the emphasis from lineside to onboard equipment, maintenance will be easier and costs lower. Verification tests have already been undertaken under actual operating conditions. In this system, lineside and onboard control equipment communicate with each other via digital radio, and train control without using track circuits is possible. ATACS has the equivalent performance level of ERTMS ETCS Level 3. With the introduction of ATACS, we have three main objectives. First is improving the reliability of services. By freeing ourselves from conventional
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