Connection of turnouts installed on a track section used by traffic to the monitoring of the centralised traffic control

In the worst case, the inability of the centralised traffic control to see turnouts installed in a track section used by traffic and their incomplete connection to the railway safety system could have caused a serious accident if the maintenance machine had stopped in the turnout section. Furthermore, the inability of the centralised traffic control to see the turnouts caused a significant slow-down to the post-incident track inspection operations.

The Finnish Transport Agency should update Part 6, Safety devices, of the Railway Engineering Guidelines (RATO) so that the section of a turnout that sees traffic installed on a track section used by traffic must always be connected to the track circuit of the railway safety system as its own element and connected to the centralised traffic control monitoring immediately when technically possible.

A turnout on a track used by traffic should always be visible in the centralised traffic control system so that the traffic controller is able to locate the turnout. The visibility of the turnout to the centralised traffic control also improves trackwork safety, as the turnouts and their numbers are carefully specified in the trackwork notifications.

In the worst case, the inability of the centralised traffic control to see turnouts installed in a track section used by traffic and their incomplete connection to the railway safety system could have caused a serious accident if the maintenance machine had stopped in the turnout section. Furthermore, the inability of the centralised traffic control to see the turnouts caused a significant slow-down to the post-incident track inspection operations.