Communication between train dispatchers and dispatchers at railway infrastructure companies currently involves a high degree of manual work and many media breaks. In particular, the transfer of data from timetables to the data required for automatic control by the train control system is currently carried out manually by the dispatcher, which leads to increased workloads, resource bottlenecks, and delays in operations in the event of disruptions or short-term changes. In order to close the gap between the timetable and the corresponding signal movements to be executed in the signal box, the ‘Autopilot for Signal Boxes’ project aims to develop and pilot the necessary functions. The autopilot for signal boxes is thus located between the LeiDis-D dispatching system and the integrated control and operating system (iLBS) as the receiving system.

Other subsystems of the iLBS are involved in the automated receipt, processing, and forwarding of dispatching decisions in the form of new control plans. Central control plan management already enables control plans to be entered and subsequently distributed to several local train control systems. Based on the data recorded in the control plans, such as departure time and route, and depending on the verification of various preconditions, the train control system automatically sends the switching commands to the signal box. One premise in the development of the ‘Autopilot for Signal Boxes’ project is to use the existing train control systems so that they can also be used in highly upgraded existing electronic signal boxes.

The existing manual interface is to be automated with the help of the ‘Autopilot for Signal Boxes’ project. The core of the solution outline is the creation of two new systems: ‘Route Plan Generator’ and ‘Route Plan Validator’. While the control plan generator transforms the timetable information from the dispatching systems into the control plan format, the control plan validator checks the generated control plans for feasibility and transfers them to the control technology, consisting of iLBS.