Mathematical Model of the Movement Authority in the ERTMS/ETCS System

Abstract

The increasing complexity of the track system and the number of trains running on it makes it more likely that dangerous situations will arise, which requires the development of modern railway traffic control systems. With subsequent technical solutions, new forms of transmission of information about the possibility of entering a given section of the railway line appeared, starting from the kind of tokens through shaped and light signals, to the movement authority sent in the ERTMS/ETCS system. The complexity of the effective determination of movement authority for an area of the railway network supervised by the ERTMS/ETCS system makes it necessary to study the phenomena associated with this process. The authors present in the article a proposal for a mathematical model of movement authority in the ERTMS/ETCS system. The model description shall be followed by a description of the essential characteristics of the ERTMS/ETCS system. Its different application levels give various possibilities to transmit the movement authority. Consideration of the model will be carried out with particular regard to level 2 and level 3 attributes. The proposed model is static and covers all actual elements of the movement authority such as sections, end (of movement authority), overlap, danger point. To the extent necessary, it also includes a simplified train model.