The S5LECT SatCom and 5G Link, Edge and CybersecuriTy project, coordinated by SNCF and developed by Railenium, GTS France (THALES), Radiolabs and CEIT, will experiment a solution for seamless handover between 5G terrestrial network, Satellite link and GSM-R communication system. In the automotive and rail domains, vehicles are entering the era of full automation thanks to wireless sensors and communication systems shifting control functions from the human driver to computers. Railways need to increase functionalities of the existing signalling and automation systems and related design and validation processes therefore providing a more competitive, flexible, real-time, intelligent traffic management and decision support system. Those technological innovation will help Railway to answer his ambition to increase rail traffic with the future ATO and FRMCS. The consortium will study the hybridization of terrestrial and satellite communications networks for railway critical applications. The project will last 30 months and is tailored to define and develop an innovative solution for seamless handover between terrestrial and satellite communication networks, to assess cyber-security risks and propose solutions, to propose innovative architecture for Edge computing and finally to provide a proof of concept of all the bricks developed in the project thanks to an original laboratory testing platform. The S5LECT project will directly contribute to the development of solutions for the use of GOVSATCOM satellite communications in the railway domain. It will also contribute to the development and testing activities to deliver more reliable and robust wireless communication prototypes. This should help to enhance the testing activities and minimize time and efforts to deliver the next generation of adaptable wireless communications for all railway segments.

CONNECTIVE project will be part of Shift2Rail (S2R), the first rail joint technology initiative focused on accelerating the integration of new and advanced technologies into innovative rail product solutions. CONNECTIVE aims to be the technical backbone of S2R´s Innovation Programme 4 (IP4), which addresses the provision of “IT solutions for attractive Railway services”. Thereby, CONNECTIVE will provide other S2R-IP4 projects with a technical framework and a set of tools that will foster the digital transformation of the rail and in general all the transport ecosystem, allowing to reach unprecedented multimodal travel experiences and to improve the fit between supply and demand. CONNECTIVE will provide new levels of interoperability and seamless access to all transport data and services in a multimodal and distributed environment, while offering a common business intelligence to extract insights of the ecosystem, valuable for both users and service providers.

The Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) will be the 5G worldwide standard for railway operational communications, conforming to European regulation as well as responding to the needs and obligations of rail organisations outside of Europe. The work on functional & technical requirements, specification & standardisation in 3GPP as well as regarding harmonised spectrum solutions is currently led by UIC, in cooperation with the whole railway sector. A major challenge is the update by European Railway Agency of the Technical Specifications for Interoperability of Control Command and Signalling (CCS TSI) by the end of 2022 with a full description of FRMCS with respect to interoperability functions. Therefore, the 5GRAIL project aims to verify the first set of FRMCS specifications and standards (FRMCS V1) by developing and testing prototypes of the FRMCS ecosystem. The validation of the latest available railway-relevant 5G specifications will be achieved through cross-border emulation trials covering significant portions of railway operational communication requirements and including the core technological innovations for rail expected from 5G release 16 and pre-release 17. The project will first define functional tests and then work towards the development and evaluation of prototypes, for both on-board and infrastructure, including vital (ETCS, ATO) and essential (voice specific services, TCMS and video) applications. Prototypes will be then tested in simulated and real environments, with pilots in labs and in the field rolled out in various European sites (France, Hungary and Germany), to ensure compliancy and validation for FRMCS specifications, standards and performance, and consequently guarantee the time to market for FRMCS deployments, planned for 2025 as per European timeline. 5GRAIL will finally deliver test report conclusions to potentially update FRMCS V1 specifications and to identify technical constraints related to implementation issues.

The expected obsolescence of GSM-R and the need to enable digitalisation in train operations has led the European railway sector to set a global plan for the definition of a new radio system, the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), as presented in the EU-Rail System Pillar Report on FRMCS V2 and V3 Scope and Planning (ref. SPG-STG-D-SPG-076-01). A key part of this plan is the delivery by UIC, in the frame of its FRMCS Program, of the FRMCS V3 specifications, also named “FRMCS 1st Edition”, corresponding to the first implementable version of the new system, for their inclusion in a new CCS-TSI in 2027. Starting from the final UIC FRMCS V2 Specifications & V3 target requirements, expected by December 2024 as a result of the ERA EECT process, there will be consequently a need to verify, complete or amend these V2 Specifications & V3 target requirements through a full testing of FRMCS functions and system, leading then to market ready V3 Specifications. This operational testing is precisely the objective of FP2-MORANE-2 (MObile radio for RAilway Networks in Europe). The first step of the testing activities will be achieved in 3 different labs, run by Ericsson, Nokia and Kontron. They will be followed by 5 different field tests, operated on two railway tracks from ADIF, one from DB, one from TRAFIKVERKET and one from PRORAIL. 4 of these lines are conventional, the 5th, in ADIF network, being a high-speed line. The PRORAIL line will welcome a MNO, KPN. The FP2-MORANE-2 project, coordinated by UIC, takes advantage of the participation of 13 European railways, from which 7 will act as associated partners. It regroups the expertise of 13 product manufacturers, all recognised as key players in the FRMCS domain, and finally benefits from the contribution of UNIFE. Conceived as a continuation of all previous FRMCS activities, such as Horizon 2020 5GRAIL prototyping project or EU-Rail R2DATO FRMCS-related work packages, FP2-MORANE-2 will set the way for FRMCS deployments in Europe, as its predecessor MORANE did for GSM-R 20 years ago.

Innovative Solutions in Future Stations, Energy Metering and Power Supply (IN2STEMPO) addresses the call S2R-CFM-IP3-01-2017 Smart System Energy Management Solutions and Future Station Solutions. IN2STEMPO aligns with the Shift2Rail objectives and aims to reduce lifecycle costs, improve reliability and punctuality, whilst increasing capacity, enhancing interoperability and improving the customer experience. The IN2STEMPO Smart Power Supply activities seek to contribute to the development of a railway smart grid based on the development of an unique railway power grid in an interconnected system. This new railway network will integrate smart metering, innovative power electronic components, energy management and energy storage systems. This new concept will lead to improved and optimised train traffic, energy costs, and energy supply security for the railway system. In parallel it will allow for optimised solutions to be developed through optimising investment, operation costs and maintenance. The IN2STEMPO Smart Metering research activities will realise a non-intrusive smart metering sensor network at a railway system level. It will demonstrate an open system and interface for data collection, aggregation and analysis at an open source ODM (Operational Data Management) level. The applications will exploit the energy analysis process with the aim of enhancing energy decision-making and line operation patterns. Other possible applications include preventative maintenance plans, asset management and Life Cycle Cost dashboards. The IN2STEMPO Future Stations activities are aimed at improving the customer experience and safety at stations, resulting in a better passenger experience for customers using the railway. Research will be focussed on improving crowd management in high capacity stations, station design and components, accessibility to trains and new ticketing technologies.