The performance and control requirements of a REPOINT track switch

This paper concerns the high-level mechanical, electrical, and control requirements for the proposed novel design of a railway track switch. The track switch is being designed as part of the Repoint project, with the aim of investigating methods of increasing railway capacity and improving network delay performance through the application of technologies common to other industries. The basic mechanical design of the novel switch is discussed. The mechanical considerations are discussed in the context of the electrical and control system requirements, which are then investigated and justified. For the electrical and control design, the requirements focus on the functional performance, sustainability, fault tolerance and fault diagnostics. The requirements presented in this paper are being used to inform the design of a laboratory scale technology demonstrator, which will be completed by August 2014.