DIREP is a part of the STATUE project supported by the French PREDIT Program. The objective of STATUE is to enhance services and safety in the VAL automated transport network in Lille. When the normal service is interrupted because a train has broken down (i.e. a command failure), the driverless procedure operates a rendezvous and a coupling by the next train to drive the convoy to the next station. But this process, at a very low speed, wastes a lot of time. DIREP (detection and identification of broken-down trains), combining anticollision and identification functions, will shorten the process by allowing the next train to run faster, and to slow down close to the blocked train. In the paper, it is shown how the car warning radar system was adapted to the system requirements. Afterwards, the main research items of DIREP are defined, starting from the system framework. In the final paper, the complete system is described as well as the technology adopted for the transmitter and the responder. The first tunnel trial results which are planned in the coming months are also presented. (A*)
Samenvatting