Page 164 - 360.revista de Alta Velocidad - Nº 5

Costa, Raúl. Villalba, Manuel.

confirmed that a standard and interoperable approach to GoA2 is feasible, combining ETCS
as the ATP function to ensure safety with an ATO overlay based on the draft specifications.
This configuration ensures a high level of functional independency between ATO and ETCS.
The automation functionality and performance is not limited by ETCS, except for the safety
constraints imposed by the ATP. No modifications have been needed to the RBC, and the concept
can be implemented using ETCS trackside equipment to either Baseline 2 or 3.
AoE is a powerful concept built on interoperability and standardisation. While it can be applied
to a standalone project such as Mexico City – Toluca, the concept itself is oriented to a wider
railway network. Having a configuration that allows an ATO-equipped train to run automatically
over any equipped section of the network should simplify the deployment and migration process,
reducing the level of investment needed and delivering huge benefits to railway operators and
passengers.

2.6 AoE: Benefits and Challenges

ATO benefits are widely demonstrated in all the studies performed about the system. Automatic
Operation will provide important improvements in operation, cost and user experience, such
as:

• Capacity Increase, reducing headways through optimizing driving.
• Higher punctuality by using the line data, schedule data and TMS information from the
trackside in order to drive efficiently to achieve the foreseen timing.
• Higher comfort
• Energy efficiency by using the line data and real-time information in order to drive at an
optimized speed profile, providing relevant energy savings.
• Decrease of maintenance cost by reducing track and train wear due to the optimized driving.

• To achieve these improvements and take advantage of these benefits, railways sector must
face some challenges:

• Migration from an ATP system to an ATP+ATO system will affects to both On-Board and
trackside system. This fact demands some degree of coordination between Infrastructure
Managers and Train Operators.
• Communications should evolve to allow a higher capacity.

• Even if ATO can be standardized, trains where the system will be implemented were
completely different, so integration of On-Board equipment should be study carefully and
independently for each case. Depending on the automation grade, ATO system will interact
with the train (traction, brakes, etc.) more or less.

• Drivers’ function will change. Depending on the automation grade, the tasks to be performed
by the driver will change more or less. This change will have human and social impact in
drivers. They should to learnt and adapt to their new functions.
• The only chance to take advantage of the important benefits offered by the automation
is to achieve a high degree of commitment within the full railway sector. Nowadays the
initiatives to develop AoE are supported by the different actors within the sector, but results
must be important to keep with it.

• Some actions have been performed in order to ease the achievement of this challenges
but other ones should be analysed and developed to meet the goals. Some of them are
identified as follows:
Flexible implementation: Specifications and requirements should be defined in order to

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