Abstract
Automatic train operation (ATO) is a relatively new trend in heavy rail. While technical specifications define system and function requirements, implementation and adoption of ATO requires a business case. In this research we have developed a framework which could indicate if a corridor is suitable for automatic operation or not. We have approached this challenge by using product development methods such as QFD (Quality Function Deployment) and methods developed specifically for this study. The results indicate that ATO could influence performance, time to market and costs with respect to manual operation. The influence depends on the characteristics of a corridor, corridor segmenting as well as the operational procedures. The positive influence of ATO, considering the current state of the Dutch railways, could be limited and there may be additional challenges.
Highlights
Autonomous and automatic operation are the new trends in land transportation
It is important to understand the impact of Automatic train operation (ATO) over ETCS on the railway network considering the suggestions given by the framework
The following results were obtained after applying the framework to corridors in the Dutch railway:
Summary
Autonomous and automatic operation are the new trends in land transportation. Around 25 cities in the world have driverless metro systems and self-driving cars are expected soon. This trend did not find its way to heavy rail until recently. In the late 2017, the first fully autonomous freight train started operation in a mining railway line in Australia. This project along with the deployment of ERTMS have perhaps encouraged heavy rail undertakings to consider ATO. ERA’s interface and system specifications for an interoperable ATO over ETCS (GoA 2) operation are expected to be released soon
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