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The knowledge bank of ESA’s R&D programmes

Innovative Satellite-based PNT concepts for new RAIL Safety of live applications.

Programme
Discovery
Programme Reference
16/S02
Prime Contractor
GMV
Start Date
End Date
Status
Closed
Country
Spain
Innovative Satellite-based PNT concepts for new RAIL Safety of live applications.
Description

Implementation of the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 requires that a huge amount of physical balises (known as Eurobalises), used to determine each train’s position and direction of motion, be deployed in order to support safe operation of high-speed/high-frequency train services all along the European railway infrastructure. The associated costs are substantial, which motivates the investigation of cheaper technologies. One important candidate technology is GNSS positioning, which in principle would considerably reduce the number of required Eurobalises, many of them being replaced in favour of so-called Virtual Balises. A virtual balise implies the installation of no physical devices on the trackside. Hence, the more physical balises can be replaced by virtual ones, the larger the cost reduction.

Application Domain
Telecommunications
Technology Domain
10 - Flight Dynamics and GNSS
Keywords
Space applications
Safety
Train
Railway
GNSS
Initial TRL
TRL N/A
Target TRL
TRL N/A
Public Document
Executive Summary