Tvärbanan

In 2000, Tvärbanan— which translates literally into “the Crossways Line”— opened. The line is designed to be a shortcut across the Stockholm region from west to south, and scheduling is coordinated to fit in with the Metro system. Stockholm’s newest railway connects the region’s commuter trains and the Metro.

Modern, silent and eco-friendly—Tvärbanan is a light railway; part tram, part train. In their first commission for this project, Cactus provided the traffic management system, as a subcontractor to Bombardier. This project spanned a little over two years.

Traffic management and timetable tracking
The new system manages traffic and keeps track of punctuality. The system accesses timetables from the SL (Stockholm Transit) timetable database. In addition to this, the Cactus system generates various kinds of reports. Redundant servers and operator workstations guarantee reliable, fast and easy access.

Replay feature
Dispatchers can monitor the current traffic flow status as well as any anticipated disturbances. This provides them with the opportunity to spot variations and deviations before problems occur, enabling them to take proactive measures and avoid disturbances. The right decision isn’t enough—the timing has to be right as well. The Cactus system can replay all events. This makes it possible to thoroughly
analyse incidents such as stops, alarms or other events. Historic data is logged and stored in a database for future retrieval.

Part tramway
Certain portions of Tvärbanan’s route are classified as tramways, and here SL employs AVI, a special type of detector that reports the position of the trains along the route. Each train has an individual ID number that is scanned in at various locations.

The Catcus system also collects overhead line data along the route. This helps dispatches know instantly if any sections of the track are experiencing problems.

Passenger-friendly
Tvärbanan is perceived as being passenger-friendly, and it has become very popular. The Cactus system relays data from the monitoring system to the passenger information system TRIS. Passengers are provided with instant updates as to delays and disturbances along the route.