Centralized traffic control lets a dispatcher at a central desk line power switches and clear signals over hundreds of miles, with track circuits showing each train's position on the display. Trains move on signal indication alone, without written authority, in either direction on any track signaled for both. Busy main lines are CTC, and it is what lets a single dispatcher set up meets and passes on the fly.
We're in CTC from here to the junction, so just run on the signals and call the DS if anything drops on us.
Also heard as
- centralized traffic control
Related terms
DS
Dispatcher, as said on the radio: the person who controls train movements over a territory.
Yellow board
An approach signal showing yellow, warning the engineer to be ready to stop at the next signal.
Siding
A track alongside the main line, connected at both ends, where trains meet or let others pass.
TWC
Track warrant control: running trains outside CTC on dispatcher-issued warrants with fixed limits.
OS
On sheet: a report of the time a train passed a station, or the act of reporting it.