The Development and

Application of IEEE CBTC

Standards
Dr. Alan F. Rumsey
Delcan, Vice President Rail and Transit Systems
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

APTA 2012 Rail Conference

 IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA)

 IEEE-SA is “a leading consensus building organization that

nurtures, develops & advances global technologies”

 IEEE standards “fuel the development and implementation

of technologies that influence and transform the way we
live, work and communicate”

 “Anyone can participate in IEEE standards development”

http://standards.ieee.org/
 Communications Based Train Control

 A Global Technology
 A train-borne method of determining a train’s location, length
and integrity

 A continuous data communications link between the CBTC

train-borne equipment and CBTC wayside equipment

 Train-borne and wayside vital processors capable of

performing automatic train protection (ATP), automatic train
operation (ATO) and automatic train supervision (ATS)
functions
 CBTC Influences

 To optimize the utilization of the rail transit infrastructure by

providing
 Safety of train movements
 Maximizing line capacity
 Permitting flexible train movements
 Providing for high system availability, with degraded modes of
operation

 To efficiently move people

 IEEE Standards Development Lifecycle

Initiating the
Project

Maintaining Mobilizing
the Standard Working Group

http://standards.ieee.org/develop

Gaining Final Drafting the

Approval Standard

Balloting the
Standard
 Rail Transportation Standards Committee

 Rail Transportation Standards Committee (RTSC)

 Formed in 1996 as a standing committee of the Vehicular
Technology Society of the IEEE

 Develops standards using ANSI consensus procedures as

administered by the IEEE

 Develops standards associated with rail passenger vehicles,

trains and systems
 IEEE RTSC Working Group 2 (WG2)

 WG2 is one of RTSC working groups

 Specifically focused on CBTC

 Open to all interested parties and includes:
• Transit agencies (from North America and Europe)
• Signal suppliers
• Consultants
• Government agencies
 IEEE RTSC Working Group 2 (WG2)

 WG2 “Guiding Principles”

 Any new CBTC standard should add value to the industry

 Development of any new CBTC standard should be achievable

within a reasonable period of time
Initiating the
Project

Maintaining Mobilizing

 Four CBTC standards developed to date

the Standard Working Group

• 51 meetings held Gaining Final Drafting the

Approval Standard

• ~ 10 to 30 participants at each meeting Balloting the

Standard

• > 100 individuals participated over the years

 IEEE CBTC Standards

 IEEE Std 1474.1TM – 2004 (R2009):

 Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) Performance
and Functional Requirements
• First published in 1999; updated in
2004 to incorporate driverless train
operations; re-affirmed in 2009
without revisions

• Standard widely used and referenced

around the world

• Also referenced in FRA final rule for

Positive Train Control (PTC)
 CBTC – PTC Comparison

Automatic Train
Supervision (ATS)
CBTC
Automatic Train
Operation (ATO)

Automatic Train
Protection (ATP)
PTC
 IEEE CBTC Standards

 IEEE Std 1474.2-2003TM (R2008):

 User Interface Requirements in Communications-Based Train
Control (CBTC) Systems
• Provides for consistent operations-
related and maintenance-related user
interfaces

• First published in 2003 and re-affirmed

in 2008 without revisions

• Also referenced in FRA final rule for PTC

 IEEE CBTC Standards

 IEEE Std 1474.3TM – 2008:

 Recommended Practice for Communications-Based Train
Control (CBTC) System Design and Functional Allocations
• Published in September, 2008

• Captures current state-of-the-art and

industry best practice in allocating the
functional requirements to individual
CBTC subsystems

• Also of value in gaining a better

understanding of CBTC system
architectures/principles of operation
Major CBTC Subsystems

• Central Equipment

• Wayside Equipment

• Train-borne Equipment

• Data Comm Equipment

Example: Primary ATP Functions

• Determine train location

Example: Primary ATP Functions

• Determine movement
authority based on
train location and
route status
Example: Primary ATP Functions

• Determine and enforce

ATP profile
 IEEE CBTC Standards

 IEEE Std1474.4TM - 2011:

 Recommended Practice for Functional Testing of a
Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) Systems

• Defines a preferred sequence and

extent of off-site and onsite functional
testing for CBTC systems with the
objective of maximizing test efficiency
and effectiveness

• Published in September, 2011

 CBTC Functional Testing

Full Set of CBTC Sub-functions

Factory Functional Testing

Sub-functions Fully Sub-functions Not Fully

Verified in the Factory Verified in the Factory

Test Track Functional Testing

Sub-functions Sub-functions Not

Fully Verified on a Fully Verified on a
CBTC Test Track CBTC Test Track

Field Functional Testing

Sub-functions Fully
Verified in the Field

All CBTC Sub-functions Fully Verified

 Relationship between CBTC Standards

CBTC System CBTC System Acceptance

Requirements (Trial Operations and
Reliability/Availability/
Maintainability Testing)

CBTC System Functional

Requirements
(IEEE Std. 1474.1) CBTC System Functional
Testing (Factory, CBTC Test
Track and Field)
CBTC System Design and (IEEE Std. 1474.4)
Functional Allocation
(IEEE Std. 1474.3)

CBTC Subsystem Testing

CBTC Subsystem Design and Installation
Verification

CBTC Subsystem
Manufacture and
Qualification Testing
 IEEE RTSC Working Group 2 (WG2)

 In 2010, WG2 was awarded the “IEEE-SA Emerging

Technology Award” for the group’s “leadership in
developing universally adopted consensus standards for
communications-based train control technology”
 Summary

 IEEE RTSC WG2 has developed four consensus standards for

CBTC technology

 The IEEE CBTC standards are being recognized and

referenced around the world

 In developing CBTC consensus standards, WG2 depended

totally on the support of the transit agencies, signaling
suppliers, and other interested parties