COTS technology cuts level crossing control system cost

GREECE: Aktor has used commercial-off-the-shelf controllers from HIMA to automate the operation of level crossings on the mixed traffic Athens – Piraeus route .

The control system provides comprehensive information on the status of the barriers using Aktor’s Artemmis monitoring system. Data from the trackside equipment is displayed on a monitor in real time to allow the station manager to issue specific orders remotely, such as closing the barriers in an emergency. The open architecture of the HIMA controllers also ensures a high degree of flexibility for programming.

‘Many specialised interlocking system suppliers do not support peripheral devices from other manufacturers’, said  Athanassios Zacharatos, Signal Technology Project Manager at Aktor. ‘That can lead to very high costs and sometimes the system is also not flexible enough to meet the desired requirements. Including the cost savings we were able to achieve thanks to the freedom of choice for peripheral component suppliers, we estimate that with the use of COTS controllers from HIMA we managed to achieve overall savings of about 40%.’