Dispatching control system for movable bridges

The modernisation of the Vraňany-Hořín Navigation Canal was a complex construction contract aimed at making the vital waterway, which enables ships to cross the dangerous section of the Vltava to Labe estuary more efficiently. As part of the modernisation, it was necessary to increase the underpass heights of the bridges, and four bridges have been redesigned as lifting bridges.

The canal’s total length is 11 kilometres, of which 8.7 kilometres of the so-called upper section is operated by a control system whose workplace is located directly in the historic lock Hořín. The VARS BRNO staff used their experience with dispatching systems for road transport on the project. A key component was the integration of several interfaces, which are necessary for shipping traffic control, into one system.

The system integrates the lifting bridge control system, which controls the lifting of the bridges themselves, ship position data from the AIS system, sailing schedules from the State Navigation Administration’s dispatching centre, operational information of the navigation facilities and the status of the Hořín lock. An integral part is a connection to the data bus, where the dispatching system sends and draws data.

The dispatching control system evaluates the data and proposes to the dispatchers the most effective scenarios for traffic management on the canal, especially in its one-way traffic section. Navigation on the Vraňano-Horín Canal is controlled by 21 signal stations. One of the lifting bridges is crossed by a railway line, so the dispatching system also considers the railway traffic schedule.