Formalizing train control language: Automating analysis of train stations

Abstract

The Train Control Language (TCL) is a domain-specific language that allows automation of the production of interlocking source code. From a graphical editor a model of a train station is created. This model can then be transformed to other representations, e.g. an interlocking table and functional blocks, keeping the representations internally consistent. Formal methods are mathematical techniques for precisely expressing a system, contributing to the reliability and robustness of the system through analysis. Traditionally, applying formal methods involves a high cost. This paper presents a formalization of TCL, including its behavior expressed in the constraint solving language Alloy. We show how analysis of station models can be performed automatically. Analysis, such as simulation of a station, searching for dangerous train movements and deadlocks, is used to illustrate the approach. © 2010 WIT Press.