In the ARTE project, the participating companies and research institutions are researching the automated driving of regional trains. This involves not only identifying the requirements for infrastructure and authorisation, but also carrying out practical tests with trains in Lower Saxony.
Modern lines equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS) will form the basis for future automated train operation (ATO via ETCS). However, it will be decades before ETCS is available throughout the German railway network on the infrastructure side.
The research project described is intended to show how accompanied, automated train operation can be implemented in today's rail network, with existing track equipment, by retrofitting the vehicles. Automated driving will require camera systems for obstacle detection, and instead of the (not yet available) trackside ETCS equipment, a suitable image recognition system will process the existing railway signals.
In the funding project applied for, the project participants will determine the requirements placed on an automated rail vehicle, develop the various subsystems and equip a rail vehicle accordingly. This will be used to test the automated driving operation in a trial run and the results will be analysed at the end of the test phase. At the same time, laws and regulations are analysed in order to schedule a generic component approval for automated rail vehicles. The project is rounded off by a survey, ongoing communication with the employees of the rail transport company Start and the further development of the job and task descriptions of the driving personnel. In May 2020, the BMWi honoured this innovative approach with the Innovation Award for Real-World Laboratories in the "Prospects" category.
The aims of the research project are:
Comprehensive system definition taking into account the functions and interfaces
Creation of an operational and a technical specification sheet with all relevant requirements as the basis for technical implementation in the rest of the project
Validation of whether the technical and operational requirements can be realised.
Development of the obstacle detection, signal detection and relocalisation subsystems and integration into the train
Obtain authorisation for test runs and draw up a roadmap for the approval of ATO and coordinate with the approval authorities for ATO GoA 3, ATO GoA 4 and RTO
Equip a train with an ATO system and deploy it in test operation
DLR's work focuses primarily on the following objectives:
Evaluation of the findings and validation of the results using a holistic evaluation methodology that takes into account different stakeholders as well as operational, economic and occupational psychological aspects
Derivation of recommendations for action, which on the one hand enable the transferability of the results obtained and on the other hand identify (regulatory) obstacles to automation and show ways of overcoming them
Description of new roles and tasks for operating personnel (e.g. remote operator, train attendant plus)
Creation of future job profiles and the development of qualification approaches for driving and control centre personnel
ARTE - Pioneering work on automated regional trains
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ARTE - Pioneering work on automated regional trains
Credit:
Alstom
Project title: ARTE - Automated regional trains in Lower Saxony
