Back in March this year I wrote about a work package on formal methods and standard interfaces, led by the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket, and part of the European Shift2Rail (S2R) Joint Undertaking. Since that time, the proposal for the overall project that includes this work package has been submitted and become approved, and the project started Sept 1, 2017.

The project kickoff was held about a month ago in Brussels, and on the very same day, the recent news on two rail giants (Siemens and Alstom) planning to merge was disclosed. As representatives of these companies and many other European rail system suppliers and infrastructure managers were present, it was interesting to try to gauge their views on this merger (in short, most were surprised by the news and hadn’t had time to digest).

The project’s official name is Enhancing railway signaling systems based on train satellite positioning, on-board safe train integrity, formal methods approach and standard interfaces, enhancing Traffic Management System functions, and has a project website (click here).

My assignment is to assist Trafikverket acting as deputy manager for this work package, called Formal methods and Standardization for Smart Signaling Systems. Formal verification will be a key topic in this work package, as will standard interfaces; interfaces constitute an orthogonal aspect to formal methods (one can use one without the other), but the combination can be key to increase competition, and enable more efficient application (and reuse) of formal methods. Ultimately, this work package aims to leverage state-of-the-art formal methods and standard interfaces to address the following high-level objectives:

• Cost savings in signaling system life-cycle (LCC)
• Increased market competition and standardization
• Improved interoperability and reliability
• Shortened time-to-market of new products

The work will be performed in collaboration with many European railway industry actors within this Joint Undertaking during the next three years. Results from this and other work packages will be presented as part of Shift2Rail dissemination activities, so stay tuned!

On August 31, 2017, the Swedish Transport Administration’s Director General, Lena Erixon, submitted to the Swedish Government the “Proposal for National Transport Planning Plan 2018-2029”. Erixon points out that the starting point for this plan has been to work with, and contribute to an efficient, modern and sustainable transport system. This plan represents a financial framework of more than SEK 100 billion more than the current plan, and amounts to SEK 622.5 billion. In addition to this, 90 billion from, for example, railway charges, co-financing and congestion taxes are also included. For the railroad, this plan means an increased effort, made possible by increased funds, on robust and reliable transport. The transition from analogue to digital is emphasized by the potential of digitization, such as the introduction of ERTMS, giving the railroad clear progress.

Transport System 2018-2029 means new railroad

Among the investments proposed for the Swedish railroad are lanes throughout Stockholm – Uppsala, the first stretch of Norrbotniabanan, the last stage on Västkustbanan and many others. The Swedish Transport Administration claims that an increase in maintenance costs will affect both freight and commuting positively, as the railways functionality can be restored with these funds.

Better repairs and track changes will deliver a more reliable rail system

The increased funds will thus mean a more reliable rail system with fewer disturbances.
The plan also contains proposals for the reintroduction of speeds previously reduced, including current lanes in metropolitan areas. In order to counteract similar speed cuts in the future, the Swedish Transport Administration also proposes measures to reduce this risk, especially by continuing with performing repairs and track changes. Lanes that do not fall within this group will be comprised of a focus on the possibility of continued traffic and the maintenance of today’s functionality.

Functionality for speed, accessibility and maintenance of rail safety is highlighted by the Swedish Transport Administration as important in ongoing and future investments and work.

Signaling systems will be modernized

In addition, the proposal contains a focus on digitizing signaling systems and modernizing the Swedish signaling systems. On certain Swedish railways, the systems are over 50 years old and therefore need to be replaced. The Swedish Transport Administration therefore argues that during this period these will be successful during the period will be replaced according to ERTMS. In order to facilitate this work, the Swedish Transport Agency also proposes to investigate whether co-financing of ERTMS onboard equipment with existing EU contributions is possible.

As part of Swedish Transport Administration´s national plan there will be a lot of focus on innovations and in order for the railway to be competitive in the future, both digitization and automation need to be strengthened, both in project and delivery phase as well as in operation. The way to do this is to think outside the box and not only support traditional development methods.

The Swedish Transport Administration seeks an infrastructure for the future, with innovative solutions for strengthening competitiveness and sustainable development – this is entirely in line with Prover’s ambitions and products.

If you want better understand how modern signaling solutions should be designed and developed you can study our White Paper “Interlocking Design Automation – The Process”.

A modern solution will also make it possible to cut cost and drive efficiency. You can find more information in our White Paper “How to Build the Business Case for an Investment in a New Process for Interlocking Design Automation”.