A system and method for virtual block operational status control with long block time delay is presented. The present disclosure can advantageously increase the capacity and safety of the existing railroad track infrastructure used by the railroads by determining whether a virtual block is healthy or unhealthy. The long block mode can provide a coarse granularity on the presence of a train. In virtual block mode, the system can implement a finer granularity so the virtual aspects of the sub blocks can be realized. The present disclosure provides a long block mode that can provide the system an opportunity to analyze the potential tradeoffs between granularity and reliability by determining which mode (virtual block or long block) is best utilized in a given situation. The system can operate by default in long block mode and ignore the virtual block capabilities until absolutely needed.

A system and method for virtual block stick circuits is presented. The present disclosure implements specialized algorithms adapted to determine the true status of a virtual block based on multiple inputs from different perspectives. In one embodiment, the system can use the far house perspective of that virtual track segment and the PTC hazard for the near virtual track segment directly adjacent to the near house uses the near house perspective of that virtual track segment. For the middle virtual track segments, the near house perspectives of the middle virtual track segments are held ‘TRUE’ if they are already ‘TRUE’ when the train first enters the block, using stick circuits for the near house perspective of the middle track circuits. The vital application can then indicate the true state of the virtual track segment as occupied (FALSE), to protect the train from trains that follow.

A system and method for virtual block stick circuits is presented. The present disclosure implements specialized algorithms adapted to determine the true status of a virtual block based on multiple inputs from different perspectives. In one embodiment, the system can use the far house perspective of that virtual track segment and the PTC hazard for the near virtual track segment directly adjacent to the near house uses the near house perspective of that virtual track segment. For the middle virtual track segments, the near house perspectives of the middle virtual track segments are held ‘TRUE’ if they are already ‘TRUE’ when the train first enters the block, using stick circuits for the near house perspective of the middle track circuits. The vital application can then indicate the true state of the virtual track segment as occupied (FALSE), to protect the train from trains that follow.

A method is provided for communicating at least one item of information between a first control unit on-board a first vehicle and a public transport network. The information is sent as a command from the first control unit to a first communication unit on board the first vehicle. The first communication unit establishes a transmission link outside the vehicle with a second communication unit connected to a module for executing the command. The second communication unit and the execution module are located on the ground. The first control unit controls the execution module on the ground in a governed slave mode for the command by a master mode of the first control unit.

A method is provided for communicating at least one item of information between a first control unit on-board a first vehicle and a public transport network. The information is sent as a command from the first control unit to a first communication unit on board the first vehicle. The first communication unit establishes a transmission link outside the vehicle with a second communication unit connected to a module for executing the command. The second communication unit and the execution module are located on the ground. The first control unit controls the execution module on the ground in a governed slave mode for the command by a master mode of the first control unit.

A switch reporting device including at least one display screen, a high resolution camera, a code reader, at least one memory and one or more processors, the switch reporting device configured to determine a position of an unmonitored switch in a railway by capturing an image of one or more portions associated with the unmonitored switch, generating switch position data based on the image of one or more portions associated with the unmonitored switch, and updating a switch position record for the unmonitored switch with the switch position data. The switch reporting device includes one or more mobile computers or an EOT device for monitoring and reporting switch position data for an unmonitored switch.

The present disclosure relates to a train-ground interlocking method and system for rail transit train operation control. In the train-ground interlocking method, a train is taken as a subject of wayside and carborne resource management, and the train actively calculates a required resource according to a “movement mission”, applies to a wayside at an appropriate time and location, uses the resource after obtaining a resource use authority, and actively releases the resource after use of the resource; and once the wayside allocates the resource to one of other trains, the resource cannot be reallocated without being released by the train. Compared to the prior art, the present disclosure has the following advantages: interlocking control of integration of the train and wayside equipment is achieved, rail transit is improved from original passive and indirect interlocking control of the train to active and direct interlocking control of the train, the train safety protection function and the utilization efficiency of wayside resources are further improved, and safe, timely and appropriate match between a movement behavior of the train and a status of the wayside equipment is truly realized.

A method of railroad track control includes partitioning a physical track block into a plurality of virtual track blocks, the physical track block defined by first and second insulated joints disposed at corresponding first and second ends of a length of railroad track. The presence of an electrical circuit discontinuity in one of the plurality of virtual track blocks; is detected and in response a corresponding virtual track block position code indicating the presence of the discontinuity in the one of the plurality of virtual track blocks is generated.

A method of railroad track control includes partitioning a physical track block into a plurality of virtual track blocks, the physical track block defined by first and second insulated joints disposed at corresponding first and second ends of a length of railroad track. The presence of an electrical circuit discontinuity in one of the plurality of virtual track blocks; is detected and in response a corresponding virtual track block position code indicating the presence of the discontinuity in the one of the plurality of virtual track blocks is generated.

A method of railroad track control includes partitioning a physical track block into a plurality of virtual track blocks, the physical track block defined by first and second insulated joints disposed at corresponding first and second ends of a length of railroad track. The presence of an electrical circuit discontinuity in one of the plurality of virtual track blocks; is detected and in response a corresponding virtual track block position code indicating the presence of the discontinuity in the one of the plurality of virtual track blocks is generated.