Ein Modellbahnzug fährt an vielen Signalen vorbei.

About the Laboratory

The Railway Operation Laboratory is highly regarded as an academic teaching and research organisation for processes and interfaces associated with railway operation, with the possibility of realistic replication and simulation of real-time operation.

Here you will find information about the
- model railway,
- interlocking technology,
- tasks and posts,
- laboratory control,
- vehicles and
- history
and also you get an overview of our contact persons, our calendar with event dates as well as our job offers.

Telefon, Tastatur, Maus und Schreibblock liegen auf Schreibtisch.

Contact Persons

Here is an overview of the contact persons for study, research, continuing education, technique and organisation.

Event Calendar

Our Laboratory is open to public on a regular basis to provide an insight into our work. Please find the next appointment here.

Job Vacancies of the Laboratory

We search for dedicated staff to supervise the practical exercises and to make a contribution to our research projects. Students are welcomed to engage in the activities.

Betreuer erläutert zwei Studenten ein Stellwerk.

Possibilities in the railway operations laboratory

Training of students and business partners

in the operational processes of the railway
in control and safety technology
in incident and emergency management

Technical possibilities

Computer-aided driving with exactly dynamics control of the train and shunting runs
Different interlocking systems can be switched variably on every station
Scheduling by operations control system
Virtual network extension
Interface for testing original security systems (e.g. interlockings, operations control technology)

Opportunities for training

Implementation of a prototypical railway operation in a network
Operating and time processes in the interaction of between several stations
Responding to disruptions and deviations and investigating the impact
Scheduling and operational management of central and decentralized operating points up to larger sub-networks
Running through different variants of operational management
Flexible configuration of different interlocking technology

Opportunities for research

Driving time, quality and performance studies
Checking the stability of timetables and deriving suitable measures and rules
Simulation and investigation of real systems (e.g. S-Bahn Dresden)
Experimenting with various interlocking concepts
Research and testing of new operations control systems

Excerpt from the contents

Interlocking and blocking technology

With the exception of Waldhof station, the original interlocking and block technology is installed throughout the laboratory. All operating devices are present and functional. They have to be operated exactly as in reality and are also used for safety training.

Die Streckennetzkarte des Eisenbahnbetriebslabors.

Lines and Stations

In the laboratory, the interaction of the technical components of infrastructure, interlockings and rolling stock and the actions of the operating and driving personnel at various types of stations can be demonstrated and understood.

Control and technology of the installation

For the operation of the EBL, a system control with networked computers was developed at the TU Dresden. The control system consists of the central computer, the station computers, the vehicle computer and the interface computers.

Vehicles in the lab

Currently, 35 trains and shunting departments are controlled simultaneously on the system. Driving in double traction, with lead locomotive and with push locomotive is possible due to the vehicle control system used.

Tasks at the stations

The training takes place at 8 stations of the railway network. Depending on the objective, certain posts and tasks may be simulated. Essentially, these are the following posts with the associated areas of responsibility.

History

In 1951, the first test facility was built in Dresden, based on the existing facility in Darmstadt (1937). It consisted of the Erika station and the Steigerwald block. The system could only be operated in one direction of travel.