Commissioning the FV NE interlocking controller for neg Niebüll GmbH
The Norddeutsche Eisenbahngesellschaft Niebüll GmbH (neg) is not only a railway undertaking (EVU), it is also a railway infrastructure undertaking (EIU). In addition to operation with passenger trains on the Niebüll - Dagebüll jetty route (with ferry connection to the islands of Föhr and Amrum), the Niebüll - Tønder (Denmark) route is also operated in cooperation with the Danish ARRIVA Tog A/S. Altogether, neg transports more than 420,000 passengers per year on these routes.
With the commissioning of the interlocking in line with VDV standards in train signalling operation per FV-NE working regulations for branch lines, automated with train control computer, this is the first time for HANNING & KAHL and Verkehrsautomatisierung Berlin to realize train movements in a segment governed by the German Ordinance on the Construction and Operation of Railways (EBO) - an important milestone in the corporate strategy of both companies. The 13-km EBO line operated by neg from Niebüll to Dagebüll was equipped with train control technology (PZB magnets) and combination signals, and operation was approved by the state railway authority. In addition to the central interlocking in Niebüll, (unmanned) technical substations of the central interlocking are installed at Blocksberg and Dagebüll harbour intersection stations. The state-of-the-art secured-route controller supports the neg dispatcher with a train control computer in largely automated self-setting operation.
The levels of safety and availability required are guaranteed by complete backup of the HN-P interlocking systems (in master-slave procedure), in conjunction with the track release system via rail switches in a redundant fibre optic ring network.