RTU
Remote Terminal Unit
A field-based electronic device that collects data from railway equipment and communicates it to a central monitoring or control system, while also enabling remote control of connected equipment.
Detailed explanation
A Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) is an industrial monitoring and control device used to interface geographically distributed field equipment with centralized systems such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA).
The RTU receives signals and measurements from field devices such as circuit breakers, switches, sensors, meters, relays and other railway infrastructure equipment. It processes this information and communicates equipment status, alarms and measured values to a central control system.
RTUs can also receive commands from the control centre and operate connected equipment remotely, subject to the required control logic, permissions and safety interlocks.
In railway applications, RTUs are particularly common within traction power systems, substations and electrical distribution networks. They may also be used for tunnel and station equipment, pumping systems, environmental monitoring and other geographically distributed infrastructure.
Communication between an RTU and the central SCADA system may use wired, fibre-optic or other communication networks and industrial communication protocols. RTUs are designed for reliable operation in demanding environments and may incorporate local processing, data logging, communications and diagnostic functions.
Railway applications
mainline, high_speed, metro, light_rail, freight, depot, station
Standards and references
IEC 60870 series; IEC 61850 where applicable; IEC 62443 series; applicable railway SCADA, telecommunications and electrical control specifications