This project addresses two out of six different working areas (WA) within S2R Cross Cutting Areas (CCA) in line with the S2R Multi Annual Action Plan (MAAP). These areas are WA 3.1 Safety and WA 4.1 Smart Planning (afterwards named as sub-projects). It aims to ensure that the Research & Innovations activities dealing partially or entirely with railway planning, relevant data or safety issues within the different S2R Innovation Programs are considered completely and holistically
In Europe, different and often not perfectly suitable planning tools are in use today to simulate railway operations. This leads to results which may not be comparable. Even more important we have a data landscape that has no proper and open data interfaces between different countries implemented. Thus, the simulation of cross-border connections will be more difficult. In addition to the heterogeneous data landscape, no tool has yet been implemented that is able to simulate with a high degree of detail on the one hand, and that can also be used for large networks. In that trade-off, either a wide network or a high degree of detail is dominant. In short, a lack of research in railway simulation can be identified and needs to be overcome. Furthermore, this project will encompass additional research and innovation activities, which will foster significant improvements in long term railway traffic planning. These coherent improvements will enhance performance and resilience whilst lowering costs in future railway activities.
Railways have a high aspiration level on safety, but other modes of transport are using different methods, for instance the aerospace sector, looking at structured risk assessments. Although railway transportation has a long history in safety management, and it is certainly currently one of the safest transport mode, improvements in looking at different approaches in operation are under investigation in this project. In particular, risk management is often not based on a complete risk assessment and thus due to the complexity of railways, decisions made by individuals may have consequences one can only hardly foreseen. The PLASA's Safety sub-project has delivered a methodology to improve the design making process for safety management based on risk assessment and to ensure that all parameters are taking into account. The results so far are promising and will be continued in a project within SNCF.
