Overview

Recent developments in rail signalling technology have led to the advanced concept of Virtual Coupling.

Trains are envisaged to exchange real-time information with each other via a Vehicle-to-Vehicle radio communication layer to allow a much shorter separation and the formation of radio-linked train platoons.

Such a concept would unleash the full capacity potential of existing rail networks and meet the ever-growing need of a customer-oriented rail service potentially leading the railways to a tremendous boost in both service efficiency and market competitiveness.

Many are however the safety, technical and technological challenges which need to be addressed before Virtual Coupling could actually come to life.

How can those challenges be tackled? And how could Virtual Coupling change the future of railways in terms of market potentials and service performances?

Looking forward to meeting you at the seminar so that you can know more about the current progress in Europe of this cutting-edge and yet challenging innovation in the railway field.

Learning outcomes

• Operational principles defined to enable Virtual Coupling train operations.
• A simulation-based evaluation of capacity benefits that Virtual Coupling could lead to versus conventional and moving block signalling systems.
• A detailed market analysis and multi-criteria impact assessment carried out in the frame of the European Shift2Rail project MOVINGRAIL.

About the speaker

Egidio Quaglietta