Project description
Developing the future of European rail with advanced control and monitoring
A significant number of passengers and many tonnes of cargo are transported through Europe every day by rail. Carrying out these operations efficiently requires the use of a reliable and effective train control and monitoring system (TCMS) – the main system responsible for operating all on-board train equipment. The EU-funded Safe4Rail-3 project is developing the technology required to deliver the next-generation TCMS capable of significantly enhancing train operation. The system will provide advanced equipment control and monitoring, improved wireless communications and auxiliary system integration. In this way, it will help reduce maintenance costs, provide increased TCMS flexibility and improve railway operational safety throughout Europe.
Objective
Safe4RAIL-3 and its activities will be based on the development of three technological pillars aimed at advancing the maturity of the technologies and devices for the next generation for Train Control and Monitoring System (TCMS), in order to pass from prototypes level to TRL 6/7: (1) Development of the Drive-by-Data (DbD) devices in the train network, i.e. Ethernet Train Backbone Nodes, Car Switches and End Devices, using Time-Sensitive Network technology for adding determinism to TCMS communications.(2) Development of high TRL wireless devices and antennas that are suitable for Wireless TCMS (WLTB and WLCN domains), along with analysis of antenna installation based on ray-tracing simulations and on-site validations to identify the most optimal antenna locations and radiation patterns in the different wireless TCMS domains (3) Integration of a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning functionality on top of a Functional Distribution Framework platform and a DbD communication layer, taking advantage of the expertise obtained from automotive industry specialized on AUTOSAR.
Safety and Security assessments for these technological developments will be analyzed and studied based on the upcoming standardization. All these technological developments will be further validated in two real demonstrators that will be set up by the Shift2Rail CFM project and will also contribute to standardization. These results will increase the flexibility and reliability of the TCMS communications, reduce development and maintenance costs, and achieve novel train functionalities, paying special attention to manufacturer interoperability and the availability of multiple sources. The consortium consists of 10 partners with specific industrial profiles and expertise in key technologies from 7 European countries, including 8 industrial partners, 2 academic partners. Such an industry-oriented consortium has been considered crucial to bring the selected technologies to higher TRL up to TRL-7.
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Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
1050 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.