Digital & Automated up to Autonomous Train Operations

The Flagship Project stemming from this topic should develop the following capabilities:

Capability for improving operation performance

Automating functions, such as the wake-up and train preparation capability is needed to start operation, causing the need for development within this Destination of:

Enabler 1: Automating functions, such as train preparation for both passenger and freight trains. Incident handling, vehicle self-healing and self-managing, cooperative awareness at TRL5/6in 2025 and cover important preparatory works with higher TRL for the future set of demonstration foreseen in the Multi- annual Work programme in view of the evolutions of the solutions, including remote control, auto-diagnostics, operational tests and reset capability of DATO and next generation ATC operated trains.

Trains must be continuously traceable for traffic control and train operators in automated operation. For this purpose, this Destination should develop:

Enablers 2 and 3: Absolute safe train positioning and train integrity highly accurate and safe, incorporating new sensors at TRL5/6 in 2025.
Enabler 4: new ATO technology solutions for the automated driving and decision-making, interoperable, and for all application and segments (including freight and regional) for commercial run at TRL 5/6 in 2025. It should include the already available integration of C-DAS and should include appropriate interfaces with TMS for energy network management;
Enabler 5: Connectivity solutions: train to ground communication (FRMCS), Train to Train communication, Intra-train communication and V2X, at TRL7 in 2025.

Developments on all those enablers should also cover important preparatory works with higher TRL for the future set of demonstration foreseen in the Multi- annual Work programme in view of the evolutions of the solutions.

Safe unattended operation must be ensured by comprehensive, modular, and scalable perception systems (on-board and trackside) for both outdoor and indoor environments. Systems shall be develop under this Demonstration for:

Enabler 6: Safe environment perception, including signal reading (when applicable) and obstacle detection, supporting cooperative awareness, supported by virtual certification at TRL5/6 in 2025 and cover important preparatory works with higher TRL for the future set of demonstration foreseen in the Multi- annual Work programme in view of the evolutions of the solutions. In addition, such systems shall support the monitoring and diagnosis of assets, beyond the incident prevention functionalities.

In transition (either technical or operational) or shunting mode, automated train operation requires the development in this Destination of:

Enabler 7: Remote driving and command, for depots, for lines with low traffic, and for fall-back operations as well as for shunting at TRL6 in 2025 and cover important preparatory works with higher TRL for the future set of demonstration foreseen in the Multi- annual Work programme in view of the evolutions of the solutions;

Additionally, the Destination should develop:

Enabler 8: Autonomous route setting, on low traffic/regional networks, in terminals, in depots and in urban environment at TRL5 in 2025 and cover important preparatory works with higher TRL for the future set of demonstration foreseen in the Multi- annual Work programme in view of the evolutions of the solutions;
Enabler 9: a Digital Register, acting as a central data source for, e.g. safe train positioning, ATP, TMS and DATO at TRL 6 in 2025.

Capability for offering more capacity to customers

Enabler 10: The combination of radio based ETCS (Level , Hybrid Level 3 and Level 3) and ATO is key to increase the capacity of railway lines. The development of the following enablers is therefore key: ETCS Hybrid Level 3; ETCS Level 3 and Moving block systems, taking into account aspects related to relative braking distance. Activities shall reach TRL6 for 2025 demonstration.

Enabler 11: A fully fledged Virtual coupling, another key element to achieve shorter headways and operational flexibility, supported by enhanced connectivity and localisation, shall also be developed, taking into account the outputs from the EU-Rail System Pillar.

Enabler 12: This development shall also include self-driving freight wagons (supporting cooperative awareness). Activities shall reach TRL4/5 for the 2025 demonstration.

Enabler 13: To maximise next generation ATC performance, building upon the work achieved in the S2R Programme, a new generation of brake systems _{^{[Public deliverables from S2R TD1.5 (brakes) from the project PINTA (D7.3 D8.1) available here: https://projects.shift2rail.org/s2r_ip1_n.aspx?p=PINTA]}} is needed to bring adjustable/configurable emergency brake control, the holding brake function and integrated adhesion management among other enhanced functionalities. New methods for qualification of brake performance under degraded adhesion, using adhesion management systems, are needed to allow performances to be assessed against a common framework as well as slide protection optimisation. This destination is expected to reach TRL5 for the 2025 demonstration.

Capability for supporting cost-effective deployment

Enabler 14: Technology as well and the operational procedures need to be validated and tested to ensure fast and safe deployment. To this end, this destination is expected to develop novel platform and facilities for testing, validation and (virtual) certification._{^{[Public deliverable of S2R TD2.6 (Zero on-site testing) available here: https://projects.shift2rail.org/s2r_ip_TD_r.aspx?ip=2&td=983bce09-d662-47ac-904c-a543f5b73fcc]}} Developments should reach TRL 5/6 in 2025 and cover important preparatory works with higher TRL for the future set of demonstration foreseen in the Multi- annual Work programme in view of the evolutions of the solutions.

Enabler 15: Decoupling software from hardware and parts inside the software domain, and defining the steps needed to increase flexibility and reduce integration effort, need to be targeted. To make those improvements effective, an adapted development cycle including an adapted safety cases procedure and modularized certification is required for the reduction of integration efforts. This destination is therefore expected to develop railway industrial DevOps.

Capabilities enabling operational objectives:

The following enablers shall be developed:

Enabler 16: Modular platform based on next generation ATC architectures, for agreed on-board and trackside modular architecture, reaching TRL6/7 in 2025, and cover important preparatory works with higher TRL for the future set of demonstration foreseen in the Multi- annual Work programme in view of the evolutions of the solutions .
Enabler 17: Evolved onboard communication networks at TRL6 in 2025 and cover important preparatory works with higher TRL for the future set of demonstration foreseen in the Multi- annual Work programme in view of the evolutions of the solutions.
Enabler 18: Functional Open Coupling System prototype covering all required subsystems in an operational environment (TRL7)
Deployment and migration strategic plans, including training and human factors.

The action shall actively contribute to measure and monitor the specific quantitative KPIs defined in the Destination description above, including its contribution to the Europe’s Rail Master Plan impacts.

The action shall actively contribute to the EU-Rail standardisation rolling development plans wherever relevant. Similarly, the action shall contribute to the development and implementation of EU policy and legislation including Technical Specifications for Interoperability and Common Safety Methods, as well as to publications of the System Pillar.

Collaboration work required with other FAs

The action to be funded under Destination 2 shall foresee a common activity/task related to capturing specific requirements and review of system specifications relevant to the actions to be funded under Destination 5 and Destination 6.

The action to be funded under Destination 2 shall foresee a common activity/task related to the Preparatory works on the integration and pilot test(s) of the technical enablers to be provided to the actions to be funded under Destination 1, Destination 5 and Destination 6 for the demonstration to be carried out in the action to be funded by Destination 1, Destination 5 and Destination 6.

Interaction with the System Pillar

The System Pillar aims to guide, support and secure the work of the Innovation Pillar (i.e. to ensure that research is targeted on commonly agreed and shared customer requirements and operational needs, compatible and aligned to the system architecture), and the Innovation Pillar will impact the scope of the System Pillar where new technologies or processes mean that innovations can drive a change in approach, as well as delivering detailed specifications and requirements.

In this respect, the proposal should allocate necessary resources that would be dedicated to areas linked to the System Pillar conceptual and architecture works – particularly addressing specification development (the interaction is illustrated in the System Pillar – Innovation Pillar interaction note (Annex VI of this Work Programme)). The alignment of the activities will primarily take place during the Grant Preparation Phase and ramp up phase of the awarded proposal, and there will be continued, structured and regular interaction through the life of the project.

Interaction with other relevant actions

Work under this topic should link to relevant actions, when appropriate, financed by the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), the project 5Grail (GA number: 951725) and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF2), and in particular with actions to be funded under the calls CEF-DIG-2021-5GCORRIDORS-WORKS and TOPIC ID: CEF-DIG-2021-5GCORRIDORS-WORKS. Link to other external initiatives can also be relevant.

Gender dimension

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.

Digital & Automated up to Autonomous Train Operations

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