Passenger train services along the Cranbourne/Pakenham Line are now operating with High Capacity Signalling (HCS) – the high-tech signalling system introduced to Melbourne’s rail network by the Metro Tunnel Project.
Akin to adaptive cruise control in a car, the system tracks the location and speed of trains in real time to ensure safe distances and speeds.
This technology will soon allow passenger trains on parts of the network to travel closer together, improving service frequency and reliability.
This is the first time in Australia the next-generation signalling system has been retrofitted to an existing network, and comes after years of testing new systems and trains without passengers.
There are now 17 passenger services a day using the new signalling system on sections of the Cranbourne/Pakenham Line, alongside Melbourne’s conventional signalling system. The number of services running HCS will increase in coming months.
When the Metro Tunnel opens in 2025, trains on the new Cranbourne/Pakenham to Sunbury Line will use a mix of HCS and conventional signalling, and will exclusively use the new signalling system when travelling through the Metro Tunnel and its five new underground stations.
HCS works by wirelessly communicating the location of moving trains to other trains, the railway line and back to signal control centres.
This digital system means the trains can safely move closer together compared to conventional signalling, which uses stop and go lights. This means more services can run.
The system connects to the signal control centre, where highly qualified signallers monitor trains as they move along the lines and through the tunnels, and direct them if needed.
The new Sunshine Signal Control Centre is purpose-built to work with HCS and monitor Metro Tunnel services. It uses the data transmitted by the HCS about train locations, to ensure all trains on the network are keeping a safe distance and know when to safely go or stop.
