Hamburger Hochbahn AG orders Alister electronic interlocking for depot control from Funkwerk

HAMBURGER HOCHBAHN AG opts for an electronic interlocking of the Alister series from Funkwerk IT for control of operations in its depot in Saarlandstrasse.

Hamburger Hochbahn AG (HOCHBAHN), the second largest public transportation company in Germany, has awarded a contract to Funkwerk Information Technologies GmbH (Funkwerk IT) for delivery of an electronic interlocking system of the Alister series for its Saarlandstrasse depot.

HAMBURGER HOCHBAHN AG opts for an electronic interlocking of the Alister series from Funkwerk IT for control of operations in its depot in Saarlandstrasse.

The aim of the HOCHBAHN is to replace the existing depot control system, which until now has been operated by an old relay interlocking, with modern interlocking technology adapted to current operational requirements.

Funkwerk IT’s solution for this task is a new signalling system based on the Alister interlocking platform. Different versions of the Alister system are already operating successfully in more than 40 installations throughout Europe. The consistent use of standard industrial components (e.g. programmable logic controllers, Profinet, Ethernet etc.) in the Alister electronic interlockings is the decisive factor for the short implementation period, long service life and low life-cycle costs of this system. These components enable a modular, network-compatible system architecture which works with open interfaces and can be flexibly adapted to the specific requirements of the users.

Due to its open system interfaces, operation of the system is highly flexible. It can be operated from a local workstation or by remote control from the HOCHBAHN’s operations control centre, as required. In addition, local route control panels are being installed for journeys to the adjacent siding tracks to the north of the depot.

The order contract also includes the implementation of interfaces to the neighbouring relay interlocking and to the highly integrated operations control system of the HOCHBAHN which was successfully installed by Funkwerk IT some years ago.

The design of the graphical user interface of the central workstations is based on the screen layout used in the HOCHBAHN’s other electronic interlockings. Funkwerk IT worked in successful co-operation with the HOCHBAHN for many years on the development of the operations control centre based on Funkwerk’s Travis platform and also of the MESSINA training installation. Thus, Funkwerk IT is already well acquainted with the symbols and menu navigation used in the HOCHBAHN ‘s systems. This experience provides a good foundation for efficient handling of this complex project.