201911 – Stamm – Using Global Satellite Navigation Services in Safety Critical Rail Applications

Applications of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in Railways are becoming more and more frequent. So far, the focus has been on non-safety related applications, such as passenger information systems and freight logistics, which are typically also not standardised.

When moving GNSS applications into the domain of safety, such as for train control systems, a much better understanding of GNSS behaviour is needed. This is especially true for standardised applications, such as within the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS), where the performance and behaviour of GNSS receivers and other components of a GNSS solution will have to be harmonised to achieve standardised, guaranteed performance and thus interoperability between on-board units of different suppliers, similar to GNSS based landings in aviation.