ERTMS/ETCS: A new age in Railway Signalling Engineering

The ERTMS/ETCS system currently being deployed on high-speed lines in Spain is the latest state-of-the-art signalling system, and in consequence the most complex signalling system available on the market.

The complexity of the ERTMS system requires a great deal of effort to test and validate all application data, much more than conventional signalling systems. This is particularly so when working on existing lines with revenue service, which allow for very short track possessions.

Therefore it is crucial for all ERTMS/ETCS suppliers to develop new tools and procedures which dramatically reduce the number of hours of testing and engineering needed. This not only benefits suppliers but also Railway infrastructure managers as delivery time is reduced.

Invensys Rail Dimetronic realised this at the very beginning of the development process of ETCS and, in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Madrid, developed a complete simulation Environment for the whole ETCS/ERTMS system. This system was branded as FESIM. It serves not only as a complete simulation platform of the ERTMS/ETCS system but also as a testing platform for different ERTMS constituents of the system.

Through a laboratory simulation environment, FESIM is capable of providing alternative solutions to the original design, thus enhancing ERTMS performance and exploitation efficiency. It is also capable of simulating different types of Rolling Stock, including diverse dynamic behaviours and therefore allowing the adjusting and fine tuning of application data of ETCS equipment.

FESIM is being used by Invensys Rail Dimetronic in the execution of different ERTMS/ETCS projects in Spain. The main tasks of FESIM within these projects are:

• Minimising testing time hours and therefore shortening the delivery and commissioning time of the project: signalling engineers, when modifying any ETCS application data, only have to start an automated testing process which analyses the impact of such changes and validates it in a quick way. It also automatically produces reports which are used for testing purposes.
• Testing integration of the different sub-systems components: FESIM is designed in a way in which each real HW constituent can be ‘plugged into’ the system and tested. This is extremely useful when testing, for example, the real RBC constituent for a particular application and simulating, as realistically as possible, the RBC real environment.
• Validation of ETCS application data: FESIM is used to validate ETCS application data thanks to its simulation features.
• Provide alternative solutions to original application data: by simulating several trains running under a specific line it is possible to optimise application data in order to improve capacity of the line itself. FESIM has been also used to check the impact of new train services on a specific line.
• Training drivers and ERTMS/ETCS operational staff.

About the Author

David Sanz García Global Product Line Manager ERTMS Invensys Rail Dimetronic

David Sanz García has a Masters Degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He has worked at Dimetronic for 15 years, working as Marketing Manager for Railroads and responsible for ERTMS products inside the Invensys Group.