Integrated Electronic Control Centre
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The Integrated Electronic Control Centre (IECC) was developed in the late 1980s by the British Rail Research Division for UK-based railway signalling centres, although variations exist around the world. Up to 2005, an aggregate of 140 operational years of reliable service had been achieved overall.
It consists of an operator’s workstation with a series of VDU/LCD displays which depict the control area and is semi-automatic using Automatic Route Setting (ARS) - a computer based route setting system driven from a pre-programmed timetable database. ARS can also handle severely disrupted service patterns and assist the signaller in the event of train or infrastructure failures.
IECCs were developed as an alternative to the traditional switch or button panel control, which in turn replaced mechanical lever frames. From the start, they controlled Solid State Interlockings (SSIs), a software version of the traditional relay interlocking, but existing relay interlockings may also be controlled from an IECC. The system can control as many miles of track as required, but typically around 50-100 miles. The IECC is a product owned by Network Rail and supported by DeltaRail Group Limited.
Recently, PC-based control systems, similar to the IECC have been developed and are sold by various signalling contractors, e.g. Westinghouse Rail Systems WESTCAD.
[edit] List of IECCs commissioned to date
| Location | Area controlled | ARS? |
|---|---|---|
| Ashford | Southern Region SE section and Channel Tunnel Rail Link | Yes |
| Edinburgh | Waverley station area at present (to be subsequently increased) | Yes |
| Liverpool Street | Great Eastern Main Line to Colchester, Bishop's Stortford and branches. | Yes |
| Marylebone | Chiltern lines to Aynho Junction near Banbury | Yes |
| Merseyrail (Sandhills) | The Merseyrail Northern Lines and Wirral Lines | Yes |
| Slough New | Paddington to Heathrow Airport | Yes |
| Swindon B | Didcot area | Yes |
| Tyneside | East Coast Main Line, from north of Northallerton to south of Morpeth | Yes |
| Upminster | London, Tilbury and Southend line | Yes |
| Yoker | Glasgow North suburban area | Yes |
| York | East Coast Main Line, from north of Doncaster to north of Northallerton and Leeds area | Yes |
The following installations are not true IECCs, but are similar to IECCs in principle:
| Location | Area controlled | ARS? |
|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth | Dorset coast | No |
| Leamington Spa | Banbury to Warwick |
No |
| Rugby | West Coast Main Line between Watford and Rugby and eventually Nuneaton and the Trent Valley Line | Yes* |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Colwich Junction to Crewe/Macclesfield | Yes* |
| West Hampstead (St Pancras) | St. Pancras area during construction of High Speed 1 | No |
* These systems, which are already in existence, are due to be enhanced with a more advanced ARS than the standard IECC equivalent.
