Signal Systems, Scheduling & Train Dynamics
From the earliest mechanical interlockings to modern communication-based train control, railways have pioneered safety-critical systems engineering. Explore how block signals protect trains, how dispatchers resolve conflicts in real time, how marshalling yards sort freight by destination, and how capacity analysis squeezes more trains onto existing infrastructure—all through interactive simulations grounded in real railway engineering principles.
The foundational systems that keep trains apart and prevent collisions—from Victorian-era fixed blocks to 21st-century moving block CBTC.
Track divided into fixed blocks, each protected by entry signals. Watch trains obey red, yellow, and green aspects as they maintain safe separation.
Compare fixed block vs CBTC moving block side by side. Moving block eliminates fixed boundaries, allowing closer headway and higher throughput.
Set routes through a junction with switches and signals. The interlocking prevents conflicting movements—try to break the safety rules.
Drive a train with GPS-based PTC overlay. The system prevents overspeed, red signal overrun, and work zone intrusion—overriding the driver when needed.
The physics of heavy rail: braking distances measured in kilometers, speed-distance curves governed by adhesion and gradient.
Visualize emergency, service, warning, and permitted speed curves as calculated by the European Train Control System. Adjust speed, mass, grade, and brake type.
Optimize minimum headway on a bi-directional double track with mixed traffic. See how speed variation affects line capacity and train bunching.
The art and science of fitting more trains onto the same tracks—timetable compression, platform allocation, and real-time dispatching.
Watch a priority-based algorithm assign arriving trains to station platforms. Express trains get preferred platforms; freight goes to the edges.
Generate a time-distance string diagram and compress the timetable to find theoretical maximum capacity. The standard method used by European railways.
Manage real-time train movements on a corridor with passing loops. Inject delays and watch conflict resolution propagate through the network.
Behind the scenes: the complex logistics of sorting, classifying, and assembling freight trains at marshalling yards.