Nouvelle-Aquitaine: A Key Region for European Train Geolocation

On February 7, 2025, the Charentes-Périgord industrial Technicentre hosted the inauguration of the first renovated TER trains, alongside the launch of a new geolocation experiment led by Tech4Rail within the Europe’s Rail FP2-R2DATO project. After initial tests in 2023, Tech4Rail is conducting further trials with a BGC train equipped with geolocation systems from Alstom, Airbus, and Exail, running until the end of 2025.

The objective is to evaluate the performance of satellite-based train positioning and its potential integration into safety systems like ERTMS. This initiative is a collaboration between railway and space sector stakeholders, including the European Space Agency (ESA). Funded by the EU, these trials contribute to FP2-R2DATO, which focuses on rail system digitalization and automation. The expected benefits include improved transport reliability, increased network capacity, and reduced energy consumption, with additional applications like infrastructure monitoring also being explored.