SIGNALLING & TELECOMS
Alan Brunstrom of the European Space Agency explains the impact that space technology could have on the rail industry in signalling and telecoms.
R
ailways and satellites are not obvi- ous companions, but an increasing number of rail companies across Europe are starting to explore the commercial and operational benefi ts of integrating space technologies into their systems.
The users range from rail operating compa- nies and the banks which own the rolling stock, through to the organisations respon- sible for maintaining the rail infrastructure. Applications under investigation include train tracking and signalling, locomotive performance monitoring, communications for maintenance crews and the prediction, monitoring and alerting of landslides or subsidence.
It is signifi cant that all of these applications are distinctly down-to-earth. In fact, when the European Space Agency introduced its Integrated Applications Promotion pro- gramme (IAP), the starting proposition was that the long-term growth of the space in- dustry depends upon integrating space and terrestrial technologies to meet clear user needs, rather than the technology-push that has often characterised the industry in the past. This may simply be a cleverer form of sell but it offers real benefi ts to po- tential users – such as rail companies.
ESA is a not-for-profi t organisation, joint- ly owned by 18 European states. It runs a great many programmes across virtually all aspects of space, with a total budget in the
188 | rail technology magazine Apr/May 11
billions. Within this, the IAP has a budget of €56m to help fund feasibility studies and demonstration projects across a wide range of markets. The UK’s Technology Strategy Board is the largest contributor to the programme and has the largest number of projects and participating industry con- sortia of any European country, and they are eager for more. ESA works closely with the TSB to identify potential topics for new projects, which may be addressed either by open competitions or through unsolicited bids by consortia of industry suppliers.
“Satellites happen to be
particularly good at aggregating large numbers of users who are spread across wide areas.”
The IAP programme is headquartered at ESA’s main technical centre in the Netherlands (Estec) but the agency has re- cently opened a new centre at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire. This hosts an IAP ambassador whose primary focus is on transport, although all other market sec- tors are also catered for.
IAP is already funding one rail project in the UK. Following a preparatory study to identify the exact user requirements, the IRISS project (Intelligent Railways via Integrated Satellite Services) is working
with East Midlands Trains. This is being observed by the Future Communications and Positioning Systems Working Group, which includes the Rail Safety and Standards Board, Network Rail and the Department for Transport.
The project’s aims are to generate more fuel-effi cient driving, better information to support decision making, improved re- liability of trains and accurate, up-to-date timetable information. From a space per- spective this is relatively straightforward: it combines the GPS satellite navigation with a low-earth orbiting satellite communica- tions system.
The clever bit is the way in which this is integrated with not only the terrestrial mobile communications network (GPRS) but also the on-train systems and back- offi ce utilities. The latter is provided with accurate train time, location and speed. Additional capabilities to be investigated include CCTV, on-train sensors and data records, fuel metering and passenger in- formation systems. Some of these could be signifi cantly enhanced by implementing broadband communications but these are more costly and represent an area for fu- ture exploration.
IRISS illustrates a cardinal rule of IAP: all of its projects must involve the use of at least two different space systems. There are four to choose from: satellite communications
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