Matéria sobre CBTC veiculada na revista Railway Gazette International em novembro de 2016.

1. Railway Gazette International | November 2016 31
Brazil LATIN AMERICA
Four GE-built AC44i
diesel locomotives
head a loaded iron
ore train on the Steel
Railway.
Adding capacity on the
Steel Railway
MRS Logística has completed the installation of communications-based train control on its busy
Steel Railway, providing more capacity and flexibility for the operation of iron ore trains as well as
improving safety and productivity.
JULIO BAPTISTA
Regional Operations Manager,
São Paulo
WILER LUZ
Project Manager, CBTC
MRS Logística
O
ver the past couple of
years, Brazilian freight
operator MRS Logís-
tica has been rolling out a
communications-based train control
system across key parts of its 1 674
route-km network serving the states of
Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and São
Paulo.
While some recently-built railways
in the Middle East and Australia have
been equipped from new with ETCS
Level 2 or satellite-based train control,
we believe that MRS is the first freight
railway in the world to retrofit its core
network with CBTC.
Using a dedicated communications
network, connected with fail-safe in-
terlockings in the field, our main con-
trol centre at Juiz de Fora is now able
to monitor and manage trains on the
important Steel Railway corridor link-
ing Belo Horizonte with Barra Man-
sa, Santos and Rio de Janeiro. This
has provided a significant increase in
operational safety, benefitting both staff
and local communities. The introduc-
tion of CBTC and new operating rules
has also boosted capacity while reduc-
ing both operations and maintenance
costs.
Initial objectives
When the search for a new control
system began, more than a decade ago,
MRS set out some core principles that
the technology would need to meet.The
primary objective was to provide a vital
system to ensure safe operation, along
with the mechanisms and procedures
to mitigate any risk when working in a
degraded mode.
The other goal was to raise the pro-
ductivity of the transport system in
order to meet a projected increase in
demand, particularly for our core traf-
fics of iron ore, steel and cement, which
at the time were increasing by 12% a
year. CBTC was expected to increase
the overall capacity of the network by
approximately 10%.
At the same time, the new con-
trol system would reduce production
costs by improving the visibility and
predictability of real-time operating
conditions. The system would provide
users with a history of operating in-
formation to support their decision-
making processes. And a reduction
in the amount of lineside equipment
would simplify maintenance and re-
duce costs. Continuous monitoring
would enable us to collect perfor-
mance data and adopt a condition-
based maintenance regime.
A key factor in developing the pro-
gramme was the need to find a work-
able migration strategy, starting with
a pilot application to prove the basic
functionality but allowing rapid in-
stallation on the most critical sections
of the network as soon as possible. It
was also important to allow for the
coexistence of two control systems,
with trains switching between CBTC
and conventional signalling during the
commissioning and deployment of con-
secutive sections.
In 2006 MRS began to develop its
own Integrated Operations Automa-
tion & Control System (Siaco), with
support from Alstom, EADS and
Accenture-Atan. This incorporated
various elements of ETCS Level 2, and
was tested on a 35 km pilot line be-
tween Pombal and Guaíba in 2009-10.
Unfortunately this Tetra-based system
WILER LUZ PROJECT MANAGER, CBTC, MRS LOGÍSTICA‘‘‘MRS has adopted what can be defined as
the state of the art in terms of innovation
and control technology’

2. 32 November 2016 | Railway Gazette International
LATIN AMERICA Brazil
did not really meet the requirements of
our infrastructure.
Following the early trials, MRS
Logística went out to tender for
the design and installation of
communi­cations-based train control
across the entire network. After a
lengthy bidding process, we awarded
a US$165m contract to Wabtec’s
signal engineering subsidiary Xorail
in March 2011. Wabtec is providing
turnkey project management, as well
as designing and installing the signal-
ling, digital radio communications and
train dispatching equipment for the
control centre. The project required
the fitting of on-board electronics to
around 500 loco­motives and 50 auxil-
iary vehicles.
Benchmarking
Wabtec is supplying a version of its
I-ETMS technology, which has also
been adopted by many of the US
Class I railroads as the basis of their
Positive Train Control projects. Adopt-
ing a standard technology has helped
to reduce the overall cost, as well as
minimising project risk,both during the
development phase and over the longer-
term operating life cycle.
The Operations Control Centre
houses a number of integrated sub­
systems which interface with field
equipment at each station,yard or pass-
ing loop. The CBTC system monitors
operating conditions throughout the
network, including train positions and
any permanent or temporary speed
restrictions. Train positioning is de-
termined using a mix of GPS and
odometry to provide an exact loca-
tion for the lead locomotive within
each block section. Train integrity and
length are determined using our exist-
ing end-of train telemetry system.
Operators in the control centre set
up routes for each train, and the sys-
tem transmits the appropriate move-
ment authority to the train’s onboard
equipment. The movement authority is
displayed on a screen in the locomotive,
along with signal aspects and advisory
information for the driver including the
optimum speed for the section,depend-
ing on the type of train.
For main line communications we are
using a GSM 256 digital radio network
as approved by national telecommuni-
cations agency Anatel. This provides 20
channels for regular operation.Base sta-
tions and repeaters were installed along
the route to ensure adequate coverage.
In the yard areas,we use a wi-fi network
to transmit data between the trains and
the transmission tower, which is con-
nected to the OCC.
The in-cab display gives the driver
an overview of the entire section of line
ahead, including the gradient profile
and the position of other trains poten-
tially several km away. This allows the
driver to adjust the train speed to avoid
conflicts and reach passing places at
the most appropriate time, helping to
reduce fuel consumption and increas-
ing the overall sustain­ability of the
railway.
The CBTC incorporates an auto-
matic train protection function, which
monitors train speed to ensure that the
train is running within the limits of
its movement authority. In the event
of excessive speed, or if the driver fails
to react in good time, the system will
intervene to cut off traction and apply
the service brake, placing the train in a
safe condition or bringing it to a halt if
necessary.
All data from the onboard event re-
corders is automatically downloaded in
real time for centralised analysis using
a wi-fi connection. Whenever a train
passes a transmission tower,updates can
be sent directly to the locomotive.
Implementation yard by yard
Following an initial period for de-
velopment, a pilot implementation of
the CBTC was launched on the Steel
Railway in June 2013, between the yard
at Coronel Guedes near São Joao del
Rei (P1-07) and the passing loop at
Capoeira Grande (P1-13). From this
first step the system was rolled out to
other sections of the line: P1-13 to P2-
06 in Dec­ember 2013, P1-03 to P1-07
in April 2014 and P2-06 to P2-14 in
June 2014 respectively. The following
year saw the first roll-out on other parts
of the network, with Pombal to Barra
do Pirai being commissioned in July
2015 and Barra do Pirai to Guaiba in
November.
The control centre
in Juiz de Fora can
now monitor and
co-ordinate train
operations on
the whole of the
Steel Railway and
connecting routes.
The CBTC cab display
fitted to AC44i 7243
provides movement
authorities and
advisory information
to the driver.

3. Railway Gazette International | November 2016 33
Brazil LATIN AMERICA
Before
After
A
A B C
B
9 km
C
3 km
A significant milestone was
achieved on December 4 2015, when
the CBTC was implemented in the
state of Rio de Janeiro as far as the
yard at Brisamar, completing the con-
version of the main iron ore corridor
from mine to port.
CBTC has now been installed on
the whole of the Steel Railway and its
connecting routes in Minas Gerais and
Rio de Janeiro, and is performing very
well. The next step will be to roll out
the system to other parts of the net-
work, notably the Coast Side Opera-
tion in São Paulo, which handles gen-
eral freight.
CBTC deployment required close
co-ordination between the different
departments within the company, and
good teamwork was essential. For ex-
ample, equipping the major yard at
Barra do Pirai —­which is the largest
junction on the network and a strategic
hub for train movements in all three
states — required close integration.
Several teams, including maintenance,
yards and terminals, train operation
and the control centre, were involved
in the planning and execution of the
CBTC installation. Everything went to
plan and we were able to cut over to the
new signalling without any impact on
production.
Delivering the benefits
The introduction of CBTC has al-
ready brought some significant opera-
tional benefits. One of the biggest is an
increase in line capacity. Rather than
authorising trains to run from one sta-
tion to the next, typically 9 km apart,
movement authorities can be issued in
dynamic blocks as short as 1 km, allow-
ing trains to follow each other on short-
er headways. This allows much greater
fluidity in the operation of the network.
Lineside signals have been retained
at 3 km intervals, providing a back-up
in case of any problem with the CBTC.
These are approach lit, and only illumi-
nate when a train occupies the relevant
block section.
Within the control centre, the work-
flow can be optimised at a system level.
Instead of executing 200 commands to
authorise a train movement, a route can
be set up with just two clicks.As the train
graphs are no longer prepared manually,it
is possible to plan routes in advance, and
then activate them as required. In con-
junction with the CBTC, we have been
able to introduce a more integrated op-
erations management process,embracing
staff, fleet and terminals management,
maintenance and customer relations.
As well as the safety benefits of con-
tinuous ATP, the new digital radio net-
work provides vastly better coverage,
eliminating 80% of the former ‘shadow
zones’ caused by tunnels or mountain-
ous areas. Voice communications have
also improved, thanks to a 90% reduc-
tion in static noise levels.
Early estimates suggest that the reli-
ability of the signalling and control sys-
tems has improved by at least 20%. n
Fig 1. Fixed signals
have been provided
to divide the
single line sections
into 3 km blocks,
although the CBTC
permits even shorter
headways.
1km
DYNAMIC BLOCKS
ENABLE TRAINS TO
RUN ON SHORTER
HEADWAYS
FOLLOWING THE
INTRODUCTION
OF CBTC