The big picture: today's computer-aided dispatch systems provide networkwide visibility so railroads can manage traffic proactively—maximizing capacity and increasing productivity

Railway Age, Nov, 2004 by Marybeth Luczak

* Disaster recovery. "Safety and reliability are the driving factors behind customer requests today," says Siemens' Thies. "Railroads are very concerned that their systems will be available at all times." That's why today's CAD systems allow for redundancy. CSX Transportation's new CAD system from US&S includes this capability (details, p. 30). "The distributed system allows multiple dispatch centers to communicate with each other, so if there is a problem with one, another can take over," says Frank Boyle, vice president-R&D at US&S. In the past, connections would be lost for hours before operations could be resumed. "Now, our systems send safety data in seconds," Thies says. "With concern for homeland security, it's become a 'must have' feature."

* User-friendliness. "Systems have to be intuitive and easy to use," says AR Concepts' Best. "No one has time for complicated solutions." To meet dispatcher requirements, CAD systems offer customizable work screens, for instance. "They choose the information they want to see--whether it's all the equipment associated with a certain facility or a more minimalist view," he says.

* Flexibility. Making system changes without vendor involvement also is critical. "Customers like to be independent of the suppler and not bound to expensive maintenance contracts and proprietary, software and hardware," says Ralph Ades, manager Automated Train Supervision for Alstom. "Our track-builder tool allows them to reconfigure their systems, if they close sidings or remove or add track."

* Scalability. Customers are looking for a reliable system that will grow with them. "They don't want a black box that will work today, but won't meet their needs later on," Ades points out.

Because the industry is beginning to see the advantages of Positive Train Control, suppliers have designed CAD systems as "growth platforms" for its development. NS's new system is among those that have PTC functionality built in, including the ability to send electronic train orders to all locomotives.

The next challenge for suppliers? Applying CAD system technology across multiple carriers. "Unless you have information from adjoining railroads," says DigiCon's Roddy, "you're going to limit the effectiveness of your planning."