As part of the preparations and impact assessment for the next legislative framework governing European partnerships...
Public Consultation: Shape the future of European partnerships
read more
Absolute Safe Train Positioning
Challenge
Europe is progressively deploying ERTMS/ETCS to improve railway interoperability and performance, while also seeking to make better use of existing infrastructure and increase capacity. Conventional train detection systems, such as track circuits and axle counters, together with physical balises, remain key components of train positioning and detection.
Reducing reliance on this trackside infrastructure while maintaining safe and accurate train localisation is therefore an important challenge for the evolution of European railway signalling.
The solution
To address this, the Absolute Safe Train Positioning (ASTP) developed by Europe’s Rail (EU-Rail) is aimed at becoming the future ERTMS/ETCS train on-board positioning system, providing 1D safe localisation, 1D safe speed and acceleration, as well as 3D position, speed and attitude of the train vehicle body on which ASTP is installed.
This improved ASTP functionality, replacing legacy ETCS odometry, is achieved by applying Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology, a track map and a fusion filter to the odometry.
Readiness for Industrialisation and Deployment
The solution is ready for prototype testing in 2026.
Maturity level
TRL 5
Expected benefits
- Improved train localisation: ASTP aims to improve the quality of train localisation.
- More consistent speed and distance precision: precision is no longer characterised by the accumulation of dead-reckoning errors over the driven distance, but by a small, constant confidence interval.
- Reduced overall costs: ASTP enables a significant reduction in trackside conventional train detection systems, such as track circuits and axle counters, as well as physical balises.
- Increased line capacity: ASTP is an enabler for ETCS Hybrid Level 3, allowing line capacity to be increased.
Good prospects for all types of trains (mainline/high speed, urban/suburban, regional and freight lines).
Who benefits
Infrastructure Managers
Railway operators
Suppliers
Final users
Conclusion
ASTP aims to improve the accuracy of train positioning while reducing overall costs through a significant reduction in conventional trackside detection systems and physical balises. This makes it a promising solution for the continued evolution of ERTMS/ETCS across different railway applications.
Learn more about the project
FP2-R2DATO
To meet the increasing demand for transportation of both passengers and freight, FP2-R2DATO will take the advantages of digitalisation and automation to develop the next generation ATC and deliver scalable digital and automatic (up to autonomous) train operation (DATO) capabilities in order to enhance the capacity of the existing rail networks.