Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES II)

Description

• System overlaid on track circuits and cab signal as required by FRA for High Speed 150 mph AMTRAK operation on NEC (Acela trains)
• Originally conceived by AMTRAK (Larry Light)
• Used exclusively on NEC for AMTRAK
• Original version does not have TSR radio transmission – portable programmable transponders used instead – being superseded by ACSES II with TSR radio at 220 MHzMegaHertz (MHz) 10^6 Hz.

RADIO FOR TRANSMITTING SIGNAL ASPECT AND TSRs

• SPONSOR: AMTRAK
• SUPPLIER(s): Alstom/PHW
• STRUCTURE: ACSES II CDMACode Division Multiple Access/TDMATime Division Multiple Access standard
• MESSAGING STD: ATCS 200
• MAX BIT RATE: approx 9600 bpsBits per second (bps)
• FREQ BAND: 900 MHzMegaHertz (MHz) 10^6 Hz ATCS Channels, being converted to 220 MHzMegaHertz (MHz) 10^6 Hz at 12.5 kHzKiloHertz (kHz) 10^3 Hz channel spacing.
• RADIO MFGR: GE MDS
• COMMS RANGE: LOS with controlled power output
• COMMS BETWEEN: Wayside base station and train
• STATUS: In service - Northeast Corridor (2012)

TRANSPONDERS 

• SPONSOR: AMTRAK
• SUPPLIER(s): Alstom/Ansaldo
• STRUCTURE: Eurobalise - short distance
• MESSAGING STD: Eurobalise, 170 bits data, 72 bits CRC, 255 total bits
• MAX BIT RATE: 50 KBPS
• FREQ BAND: 27 MHzMegaHertz (MHz) 10^6 Hz carrier energize, 4.5 MHzMegaHertz (MHz) 10^6 Hz response FSKFrequency-Shift Keying message
• RADIO MFGR: Alstom Europe/ Ansaldo Europe
• DISTANCE RANGE: about 10 feet
• COMMS BETWEEN: track mounted xponder and locomotive or MU Car
• STATUS: In service – Northeast Corridor