Abstract
M.Phil. (Engineering Management)
Railway system interlocking testing is highly valued and it is a priority that requires stringent procedures which are guided by rail safety regulations. Historically, interlocking testing required significant protocols and efforts which resulted in expensive resource allocation in the form of personnel, equipment and time. The introduction of new technology can potentially reduce the configuration setup times and automate repetitive testing. This in turn can improve the reliability of the test results, save time and resources. This study highlights modernised technology that proposes a new automated system setup that could improve the testing process as this technology can potentially replace traditional testing methods. The findings of this study prove that; the use of digital technology in railway interlocking testing can significantly reduce the amount of time traditionally spent on this process, digital testing can increase the reliability of the test results and it can save on the required human resources to run the tests. A key additional benefit of the digital system is that it uses Siemens Computer Aided Signalling (SICAS), which is developed to comply with the Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL4) of the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) Standard EN 50126 of Railway Applications.