Overview
In Europe, different and often not perfectly suitable tools are in use today to simulate railway operations. This leads to results which may not be comparable and to a data landscape that has no proper data interfaces between different countries implemented. This renders the simulation of cross-border connections difficult. Moreover, no tool has yet been implemented that is able to simulate large networks and that can also be used for large networks.
In PLASA, the concept and a first prototypical implementation for an integrated Smart Planning simulation is being developed, addressing tactical to daily capacity planning. In PLASA-2, a new integrated Smart Planning simulation approach will be developed, which will be capable of analysing entire networks. The possibilities of interplay between microscopic and macroscopic simulation will be particularly evaluated and a concept for applying the PLASA model for capacity analysis will be defined in view of enabling strategic capacity planning to support investment and reinvestment decisions.
In the field of Virtual Certification, a reduction of the duration and cost of the process for an appropriate authorisation to put a new train into service is needed. Today, the authorisation process for putting new rolling stock into service is largely based on full-scale field and line tests, which is expensive, time and capacity consuming. A breakthrough in performance can only be made if numerical simulations are progressively introduced in a mixed virtual/experimental authorisation process, resulting in less field tests.
In PLASA-2, a very lean structure will be created to coordinate the activities related to virtual certification within the relevant TDs of IP1 and IP2, to define comprehensive practical industrial processes for validation of rolling stock sub-systems/systems. Hence, a common interface with standardisation and regulatory bodies will be proposed to steer the projects outcomes in the standards and guidelines.