In the endeavor to develop rail control software that meets demands for efficient rail transportation— both now and in the future— many of today’s infrastructure managers find themselves impeded by a number of frustrating roadblocks. These include long and unpredictable schedules, a general lack of control over systems, and dominant industry issues such as the current oligopoly of system suppliers.

Recognize these challenges?

As overwhelming as they may be, there is a solution that you as an infrastructure manager can use to overcome them and finally take control over your rail control software development projects. That solution is Signaling Design Automation (SDA) and Digital Twins, and they make it easier to procure, develop and maintain your system software while remaining adaptable to future possibilities.

What to expect from this guide

In this guide, we will run through the basics of how you, as an infrastructure manager, can use SDA and Digital Twins to develop rail control software. You will learn about the advantages of using these tools and how to use them in practice to gain the benefits in your software project. Finally, we will put all of our learnings into perspective with a real-life case study example, and then provide you with some recommendations you can move forward with. Let’s begin!

Advancing the digital transformation is the key to meeting demands for efficient rail transportation, and one important enabler of this is the uptake of new fundamental technologies such as digital twins. In this guide, we focus on how the specification phase of rail control projects can be improved by using formal methods and digital twins. Getting the specifications right from the start, already at the tendering phase, will help you avoid costly specification missteps and, ultimately, carry out a more successful rail control project.

What’s a digital twin and how does it benefit the rail sector?

A digital twin is essentially a virtual, interactive replica of a real physical system, asset or process, including its real-time characteristics and behaviors. Applied to the railway sector, a digital twin encompasses the entire infrastructure – from stations, rolling stock, and signals, to the coordinating IT systems.

Infrastructure managers as well as remote repair crews and station staff stand to benefit from having a digital twin of a railway. With access to a real-time 3D representation of the entire railway infrastructure, maintenance and repairs can be performed faster, and more proactive decisions can be made to prevent safety hazards and costly mistakes, while improving overall efficiency.

But the digital twin is also immensely beneficial when put to use early on – before a railway’s system has even been specified – to ensure the right system is built in the first place.

Using digital twins to develop better rail control systems

Creating a digital twin at the start of a rail control project, before tendering begins, enables infrastructure managers to formulate and evaluate more precise system requirements and, ultimately, procure better systems at a more reasonable price.

At Prover we recommend developing a digital twin by using a process based on formal methods and design automation. This approach minimizes the effort required for development, and provides efficient tools for the simulation, validation and verification of requirement specifications.

Suppliers can use the digital twin as input for the detailed design, using automation tools for code generation, testing, and verification, and further shortening project schedules and reducing costs. The digital twin can then be used throughout the lifecycle of the rail control system, reducing costs related to upgrades and adding new features during the maintenance phase.

What to expect from this guide

In this guide, we will run through the basics of how you, as an infrastructure manager or system buyer, can use formal methods and digital twins to simplify the requirement specification phase and generate the high-quality specifications you need to accomplish your system goals and get your rail control project off to a better start. Finally, we will put all our learnings in perspective with a real-life example. Let’s begin!

If you want to enable safe and reliable rail transportation while making the best use of available infrastructure, implementing efficient rail control and signaling solutions is an essential piece of the puzzle.

The development of these software-based systems is critical in rail transport projects. Delays in delivery, acceptance and safety approvals add up to a highly negative impact on costs and schedules.

There is an obvious need to simplify the rail control solution development process and implement solutions that supply the industry with the tools and processes needed to meet the requirements and expectations of end customers.

How do you do that?

At Prover, we’ve found the formula for a successful rail control project to be threefold: focus on the requirement specifications, use automation to develop the systems, and apply formal and automated methods to prove that requirements and safety are fulfilled.

Not only does this formula generate high-quality software and guaranteed safety, but it can cut both your project time and costs by 50%. Together with more standardization, this paves the way for increased competition and reduced life cycle costs. And, ultimately, a better customer experience with increased traffic capacity and fewer delays.

In this guide, we will walk you through how to use this formula, which is called Signaling Design Automation, to overcome the most common barriers in rail control projects and work smarter to get on the proven track to success.