Space-enabled rail: European Union partners drive interoperability, safety and digital transformation

The adoption of the EU Space Programme in the rail sector has been increasing steadily over the past years. 

The EU´s satellite-based localisation powered by Galileo and EGNOS are already adopted in rail for asset management, wagon telematics and signalling applications. Copernicus is likewise used in rail-related applications, helping with predictive maintenance by providing valuable data on railway infrastructure and its surroundings. Further steps to facilitate GNSS and Copernicus adoption in more complex applications are being addressed through the long-term cooperation between EUSPA, EU-Rail and ERA. 

The rail sector under the research and innovation framework of EU-Rail JU are enhancing the control and command system capabilities and at the same time ensuring an harmonised approach to its future operations, leading to sustainable and interoperable solution for Europe. EU-Rail, EUSPA, ESA and ERA successfully cooperated developing an innovative and synergetic programme for the use of satellite to safely position trains in Europe: EGNOS4Rail. In the meantime, EU-Rail is also validating the next generation of telecommunication component of ERTMS through technological evolution, establishing the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) in collaboration with UIC and ERA and the supervision of the European Commission.

In parallel, the European Union is progressing towards the establishment of an Infrastructure for Resilient Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite addressing  long-term EU security, safety and resilience challenges by providing enhanced connectivity services to governmental users, while also ensuring high-speed broadband connectivity in areas beyond terrestrial coverage.

To advance and ensure that the EU rail sector remains at the forefront of innovation, resilience and strategic autonomy,  and building up on the successful EGNOS4Rail initiative, EU-RAIL, ERA, EUSPA and the European Commission are enlarging their strategic cooperation through the establishment of an expert group assess the use of EU satellite-based communication in railway signalling and safety critical telecommunication. 

The main group’s objective is to analyse applications and define requirements for the EU Space Programme in view of the adoption of space-based telecommunication for railways. This will also support broader use cases for regional lines. 

Giorgio Travaini, Executive Director of Europe’s Rail stated that “through EU-Rail Programme the European rail sector can leverage from another  major European initiative, the European Space Programme. This is a unique opportunity to shape together with the European Union a better railway service to our citizen and business, and at the same time increase the global competitiveness of the EU industry. This expert group is the needed first  step towards a future exploitation of secure space-based European solutions for both safety-critical and non-safety-related railway telecommunication.” 

Oana GHERGHINESCU, Executive Director of European Union Agency for Railways, underlined that the European Space Programme and SATCOM, combined with ERTMS programme, offer an excellent opportunity to boost resilience of ERTMS. SATCOM can create a highly secured and robust (including redundancy) communication channel within FRMCS for ETCS and voice communications on specific lines or may offer a more cost-effective solution to deploy ERTMS on Regional Lines. ERA is ready to contribute to the expert group to get the requirements clear for this programme. 

“Space-based services are becoming a key enabler of Europe’s rail modernisation,” said Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director of EUSPA. “By integrating Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus and future secure connectivity solutions into railway operations, we are improving accuracy, resilience and safety, while working with EU-Rail and ERA to ensure the EU Space Programme responds to operational railway needs and support the future evolution of railway signalling across Europe”.