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ABSTRACT
In Hong Kong, the Light Rail (LR) is a manual driving railway involving interface with road traffic. Speed supervision, turnout signal alert, platform duty reminder, fleet management and inter-vehicle distance monitoring have been regarded as effective ways to improve operational safety and customer satisfaction with the LR. Owing to the lack of a single solution for all the aforementioned functions, a novel and cost-effective integration of global positioning system (GPS) and radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies, named the integrated speed and position supervision system was designed, which aligns the zero-tolerant culture of the MTR for safety through assisting its well-trained train captains to further improve operational safety. This paper presents accurate speed and location tracking with accuracies of within 3 km/h and 2 m, respectively. It covers both hardware and software designs, and explores both theoretical and practical considerations. To further enable timely reminders, user-friendliness and high reliability, human factor analysis has been conducted and the system conformed to IEC61508 Safety Integrity Level 2, which corresponds to the probability of failure per hour of at most 10−6. With this integrated solution, the customer-centric LR service for a 500,000 daily patronage can be enhanced and the MTR – one of the world’s leading railways – can be evolved to be a smart railway.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Wai Pan Tam
Ir Dr Wai Pan Tam is an active participant in the MTR’s technology explorations and applications and received recognition in various competitions on innovations both locally and internationally. He received his BEng and Ph.D. degrees in Information Engineering from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and specialised in advanced wireless technologies and communication theory. He is now heavily involved in the design planning, implementation of asset renewal and upgrade of railway communication systems.
Shing-kai Chan
Mr Shing-kai Chan received his BEng degree in Computer Engineering and M.Phil. degree in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Having joined the MTR in 2008, he specialises in the design and maintenance of the railway signalling system. He engages in the design and implementation of renewal projects, technical investigation, and the day-to-day tasks of corrective and preventive maintenance of railway signalling system assets. He is also involved in numerous technology exploration projects with an aim to enhance the safety and reliability of train services. He currently holds the title of Maintenance Manager – Signal & Telecom of the MTR Island Line and South Island Line.
Sum Chan
Mr Sum Chan joined the MTR in 1995 and is now a subject matter expert in the design of passenger information systems in the MTR. He has over 10 years’ experience in design and implementation of various electronic and computer control systems for rail passenger communication such as passenger information display systems and public address systems. He received his M.Sc. degree in Information Technology from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Currently he leads a small team studying and developing several new systems that adopt cutting-edge technologies for enhancing customer experience in the MTR.