ERTMS/ETCS test simulation bench

Abstract

Due to its safety characteristics, signaling equipment requires a great amount of testing and validation during the different stages of its life cycle, and particularly during the installation and commissioning of a new line or upgrade of an existing line, the latter being even more complicated due to the short engineering periods available overnight. This project aims to develop a tool to reduce the above-mentioned efforts by simulating a whole railway environment, fulfilling the interfaces between subsystems and elements of these subsystems, and later interchanging simulated elements for real ones. In this way, a testing environment for signaling equipment and data has been developed for the ERTMS/ETCS system. The aims of the project that were set out at the beginning of the development and completed with the present simulator are as follows: Real ERTMS/ETCS equipment trials and integration: RBC, EVC, etc. Other signaling elements trials and integration: interlockings. ERTMS/ETCS track data validation. In order to achieve these objectives, various simulation applications have been developed, of which the most important are the following: EVCDMI, Infrastructure, Manned train, Automatic trains, Virtual Cab, Train systems, Visual, Planning and Control Desk, Movement Tables Simulator, etc. This system has been developed, and is currently adding new modules and functionalities, for companies of the Invensys Group: Westinghouse Rails Systems in the UK and Dimetronic Signals in Spain, which are using it for the new ERTMS lines under their responsibility.