Sifa is a type ofdeadman's control system used on German-influenced European railways.[1] Althoughdeadman's pedals are commonly used on railways worldwide, Sifa systems are specifically those codified byGerman Industrial NormsVDE 0119-207-5.
InSwitzerland the equivalent system is called 'safety control' (Sicherheitssteuerung).[2]
Description
editSifa is short forSicherheitsfahrschaltung, German for "safety driving circuit". It is usually a pedal and/or large press button, which monitors the alertness of the driver. The driver has to repeatedly press a button after a fixed interval; if they fail to do so, the train will carry out an emergency stop. It complements the external train safety systems:PZB,LZB andETCS.[3]
InEurope theZeit-Zeit-Sifa (time-time Sifa) is common. In this system, the engine driver holds a pedal or button down for 30 seconds and must then briefly release the pressure. Thus the system can confirm that the driver is still able to react. If the driver does not react after 30 seconds, the system warns the driver, at first optically, then for a few seconds acoustically. After a further short period of time without any reaction the train is automatically stopped. TheZeit-Weg-Sifa (time-distance Sifa) system takes account of the distance travelled, as well as time, since the last activation.
In electric trains such as those working onU- andS-Bahn lines the Sifa has for a long time been combined with thedriving switch. This is where the concept of the dead man's switch first arose. If the button was released (due to the driver becoming incapacitated) the train was automatically stopped.
Drivers must carry out a Sifa test before using a train, to check that the automatic braking is functioning correctly.
Following some serious accidents in which drivers fell asleep but somehow the pedal was still being activated, theDeutsche Reichsbahn inEast Germany introduced a special type of Sifa (Sifa86). Here the driver has to acknowledge, by pressing a button, an optical signal given at random times and distances.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Deadman's control system UDB". Retrieved2008-12-24.
- ^Eidgenössisches Departement für Umwelt, Verkehr, Energie und Kommunikation:Ausführungsbestimmungen zur Eisenbahnverordnung (AB-EBV), as at: 1 July 2016
- ^Ernst Anderegg:Sicherheitssteuerungen für Triebfahrzeuge.
Schweizerische Bauzeitung, Vol. 68 (1950), Issue 15 (E-Periodica, pdf3.0 MB)