TRE (The Railway Engineering Company) is a leading innovator in the supply of dedicated products and services, designed to improve the supervision and control of railways worldwide. TRE has an impressive range of skills and detailed knowledge to help customers build new and improved systems and products to control, improve effectiveness and understand railways.
Simulation tools for full-fidelity scenarios
Simulation has become increasingly important as the complexity of signal systems increases. TRE has a suite of simulation tools that can be used to model a wide variety of scenarios in full fidelity.
TREsim has been designed for simulating various signalling and interlocking systems, including IECC, Panels, WESTCAD, MCS, Vicos, EBICOS & SSI, Westlock, NSI-63, NSB-77, SIMIS-C, Westrace and Smartlock Relay
Timetables can be downloaded to ensure they are workable and conflict-free. As signalling schemes become ever more complex, it is important to ensure that planned new and/or improved engineering works will deliver the desired system performance improvements. TREsim provides an ideal basis for these studies.
Automatic route-setting systems
TRE has expanded its range of solutions from simulators into real-time control of railway to assist signallers in their day-to-day decision making.
The TREsa system was originally designed and developed to meet the new Network Rail ARS+ specification (NR/L3/SIG/10120) for automatic route setting. TREsa allows operators to configure, select and test variations in operational parameters on a minute-by-minute basis to meet the local operational requirements. This new flexible functionality provides the signaller with a unique tool to actively manage the railway. TREsa, a SIL2 product, has been designed to facilitate integration with most signalling control systems.
The signaller’s assistant provides signalling users with the ability to define operating parameter sets, perturbation plans and special timing patterns. Mandatory validation of new or changed parameter sets, perturbation plans and special timing patterns are carried out using an operations workbench, which ensures that changes do not adversely affect the regulation of trains in a safe, offline environment.
Scheme design and validation
With the rail industry’s constant focus on safety and the growing public pressures on performance and value for money in the sector, the TREsim signalling simulator package can be a valuable tool to validate infrastructure change to reduce both technical and programme risk.
Via complex modelling we replicate the exact signalling infrastructure of any part of the running railway network, including station areas, yards and depot facilities. These can be modelled and changed in a virtual way to fully test the integrity of the design, operation and performance of this new or revised scheme prior to committing to a particular solution.
Where an area is already modelled in TREsim, minor modifications to control schemes, layouts, timetables and other operational approaches can be quickly and easily evaluated.
Additionally, our advanced data communications protocols mean that novel regulation and supervisory systems can be tested in the simulated environment for prototyping and proof of concept without affecting operational safety.
Consultancy and training
TRE provide numerous consultancy services across the rail signalling and control spheres. We also offer support for legacy systems, as well as on-site and off-site training and testing facilities.
TRE specialist engineers provide rail signalling consultancy support throughout the UK and overseas under licence for specific legacy systems, notably the Bombardier Transportation TEML41 telemetry system.
TRE offers on-site training as well as off-site training and testing facilities at our Bradford on Avon and Plymouth offices. TRE can build a realistic signalling environment based on most OEM Workstations. These can be used for scheme testing purposes, human factors studies and additional training prior to a new scheme commissioning. In addition to simulated signalling screens, TRE can supply the appropriate hardware, including keyboards, ESOC units and all communications equipment.
European Rail Traffic Management Systems
The structure of TRE products and the capabilities and experience of TRE engineers to replicate an increasing array of signalling systems enables TRE to simulate European Rail Traffic Management Systems ERTMS.
Our TREsim product has been developed to accurately replicate the exact infrastructure of any part of the rail network together with the actual interlocking data and the characteristics of locomotives and rolling stock built in. The modelling techniques have been expanded to include ERTMS systems.
TRE’s Signallers Assistant, TREsa, with automatic route setting and control facilities has also been designed to be compatible with various signalling control systems, including ERTMS.
Data tools
Data Preparation and bespoke data preparation tools products include TRElea and SSI Workbench. TRE Layout Evaluation Application (TRElea) is a reporting tool, used in conjunction with the TREsim signalling simulation system. The application then creates reports and graphs allowing the user to analyse statistics, such as delays, number of movements per point and the signal aspects approached by trains.
SSI workbench facilitates the writing, editing and checking of SSI data in an integrated development environment. It is designed to run on Microsoft Windows and can run on a different Workstation to that on which the data was originally created in order to facilitate independent checking of files. Using the TRE SSI Workbench will ensure the majority of the editing and initial code compliance will have already been carried out prior to running on the design workstation.