The present invention relates to a system to eliminate the time delay while piloting trains at railway stations.
Piloting is a method of train operation by which trains are manned at a station when the signals fail eg. Signal will display only red aspect and will not go to green position for receiving a train into the station. It is a manual procedure, where the points / switches are clamped by mechanical clamps and pad locked manually and then trains are given written authority to that effect and authorized to move at very slow speed of say 10 kmph. This whole process takes about 20 to 30 minutes of time resulting in delay in train movement and thus cause the railways the capacity constraints. Like any other device, failures do occur in the case of railway signals and the piloting becomes inevitable. In railway parlance the word 'Point' means a device used for diverting the track in which the train can move.
Hence we have come out with a novel system, which will reduce the time delay arising out of the process of piloting and also ensures the safety of train movements. This system can be used as an add on facility to any type of automatic train control system used by railways and uses GSM wireless network or GSM-R wireless network or bi-directional communication link available in the balise / RFID of automatic train control system.
Accordingly the present invention is a system to eliminate the time delay while piloting train at railway station adaptable to an automatic train control system comprising a pilot control logic device (1) at railway station capable of providing pilot control command based on the input from interlocking device (18) with communication network (11) selected from GSM / GSM-R along with associated interfacing equipment (14 ) (12) and ground station (10) where in the interfacing equipment in the train is capable of processing the pilot control command information provided by the station master through ballses / RFID and displaying to the driver at the onboard equipment of the train (9 ) enabling the driver to acknowledge the

information thus received to tine ground station and the interfacing equipment in the ground station (12) and to transfer the pilot control command acknowledgement received from the train to the station master through his pilot control equipment (1) (2) capable of the locking of the routes by means of Interlocking device (18) to facilitate the free passage of the train through the railway station.
Now the Invention will be described In more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, bringing out a number of embodiments of the arrangement according to the Invention.
Fig.l. A block diagram of the system to eliminate the time delay while piloting trains at railway stations. Wherein :
1- Pilot control logic device at the railway station
2- Station Master control panel cum Pilot control equipment.
3- Line side Electronic unit.
4- 5 & 6- Ballses / RFID
7- Warning signal
8- Main signal
9- Train Locomotive with on board equipment of automatic train control
system
10- GSM/ GSM-R Wireless base station.
11- GSM/ GSM-R Communication net work
12- Interface equipment with optical fiber link at GSM/ GSM-R net work end
13- Optical fiber link
14- Interface equipment with optical fiber link at station end
15- Railway station
16 & 17- Points/ Switches at railway track
18- Interlocking equipment.
19- Last stop signal at railway station
20- Ballse / RFID at last stop signal

Let us for explanation purpose assumes that the main signal (8) has failed due to a cable fault or relay failure. So it will display only red aspect and will not go to green position for receiving a train into the station. However, the conditions for clearing green signal at (8) are fulfilled, but due to cable fault it is not possible to display green signal. This invention will enable under such situation to provide instruction to the driver, there by saving precious time due to damping (manual) of points, padlocking, issuing pilot memo etc. are eliminated. This is explained in detail now.
The stationmaster on his control panel (2), will set the points/switches (16, 17) to normal position say to receive the train on the main line. The points can also be locked by the interlocking. Stationmaster control panel cum pilot control equipment is a pre programmable device having relays, indicator LED, push button switch, Micro controller and Microprocessor However, this locking is not held by the green aspect of signal, as the signal is unable to go to green aspect due to cable fault. The essence is to hold the locking of the points and hence the route, when the train is moving by this novel system. (Normally this is done by the dear aspect of the signal). Realising that the signal has failed, but the points/switches on the route are correctly set and locked, the stationmaster now sets pilot command on his control panel (2). This is processed by the pilot control logic device (1), by also taking inputs from interlocking (18). The heart of pilot control logic device which is digital, drives the line side electronic unit LEU (3), of the automatic train control system, to send a pilot command telegram to the Balise (4), at the approach of the station. The pilot control logic is also a pre programmable device comprising of relays, micro controller, microprocessor with associated electronic circuitry. When the train (9) travels over Balise (4), the on board equipment receives the pilot command signal and alerts the driver, that his train is planned to be piloted at signal (8). The driver acknowledges the pilot command by pressing acknowledgement button. This acknowledgement is sent to the station master control panel cum pilot

control equipment (2) and to the pilot control logic device at the railway station through any one of the following communication systems.
i) GSM wireless network and optical fiber backbone ii) GSIM -R wireless network and optical fiber backbone ill) Bi-directional balise communication network.
Once the acknowledgement by the driver is received through the communication network by the pilot logic control device (1) it locks the status of the route through the interlocking equipment (18). This is fed back to the driver via communication network indicating to him that the route is locked for him. Once the route locking is done, this information is fed to the LEU, which sends appropriate telegram, setting the route profile speed to 10 kmph, which is maintained by the on board equipment. The train will now proceed at a speed not exceeding 10 kmph. All the above are done when the train is on the move between the warning signal (7) and main signal 8 and there is no need for the train to stop and proceed. Once the train comes to the station, the device can release the route by pressing a button in the onboard equipment.
As a precaution a balise / RIPD is provided at the last stop signal (20), which will remind the driver through onboard equipment for releasing or unlocking the route if the driver fails to unlock the route.
Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein above and as defined in the appended claims.

We claim
1. A system to eliminate the time delay while piloting train at railway station adaptable to an automatic train control system comprising a pilot control logic device (1 ) at railway station capable of providing pilot control command based on the input from interlocking device (18) with communication network(ll) selected from GSM / GSI^-R along with associated interfacing equipment (14 ) (12) and ground station (10) where in the interfacing equipment in the train is capable of processing the pilot control command information provided by the station master through ballses / RFID and displaying to the driver at the onboard equipment of the train (9 ) enabling the driver to acknowledge the information thus received to the ground station and the interfacing equipment in the ground station (12) and to transfer the pilot control command acknowledgement received from the train to the station master through his pilot control equipment (1) (2) capable of the locking of the routes by means of interlocking device (18) to facilitate the free passage of the train through the railway station.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, where in means exists to unlock the routes by the driver through the onboard equipment once the train crosses the station.
3. The system as claimed in claim 2 where in the means for unlocking the route in the onboard equipment is a push button on off switch
4. The system as claimed in claim 1, where in balise/ RFID is provided at the last stop signal (19 ) capable of reminding the driver through onboard equipment for unlocking the rout if the driver fail to unlock the route.
5. The system as claimed in claim 1 the pilot control logic is a pre programmable device comprising of relays, micro controller, microprocessor with associated electronic circuitry.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 station master control panel cum
pilot control equipment (2) is a pre programmable device having
relays, indicator LED, push button switch, Micro controller.
Microprocessor
7. Equipment as claimed in claim 1 to 6 substantially herein described
with reference to and as shown in FIG 1 of the accompanying
drawings.