A thin route optical fibre communication system for railway traffic control

Railway traffic Control requires dedicated point to point and point to multipoint circuits for communication over larger number of signal points spread along the track. A typical despatcher control section spreads over 200 kms with 30 to 40 signal points. Till mid 80s, such communication were economically provided by copper quad cable in electrified territory. Development in optical fibre technology has changed the scenario and fibre finds increasing use in Railway Telecommunication Network due to its distinctive advantages. However some of the railways' requirements are too specialized. These include omnibus circuits with large number of tappings, closely spaced repeaters, lineside emergency communication requirement, transmission of safety information and ability to provide on demand service. The technology of optical fibre therefore requires adoptions to meet these specialized requirements.