ATO GoA2: New ATO planning process for highly automated driving
The newly defined ATO planning process used for the first time as part of the ATO GoA2 rollout in the Stuttgart digital node.
In ATO GoA2 operation (Automatic Train Operations Grade of Automation 2), trains should accelerate, run, brake and stop automatically, while a train driver remains on board to be able to intervene in the event of incidents, in the dispatching process or in special operational situations. Digital Rail Germany is consistently pursuing the goal of implementing "ATO over ETCS" on the basis of ETCS Level 2. With its first project, the "Digital S-Bahn Hamburg", it was possible to demonstrate that ATO GoA2 using ETCS is not only technically and operationally possible, but can also be authorised for regular passenger operations in a timely manner. As a result, the Digital Node Stuttgart (DKS) became the starting point for the rollout. To this end, 481 vehicles will be equipped with ATO on-board units and the greater Stuttgart area (approx. 500 kilometres of track) will be equipped with the necessary trackside components for highly automated driving.
Basically, ATO GoA2 over ETCS is a European standardised, interoperable system. For Deutsche Bahn, this system is implemented with the following system architecture (see Figure 1).
The key ATO system components are the ATO on-board unit and the ATO trackside unit (ATO-Trackside, ATO-TS). These two systems and the OverTheAir interface in between are specified in various subsets as part of the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) 2023. On the trackside, Digitale Schiene Deutschland complements the system architecture with the Basic Digital Register (Basic-DR) and CTMS-Translator (CTMS-T) subsystems. The CTMS-T serves as an interface and transmission system between the central dispatching system and ATO-TS. The Basic DR in turn provides the current ATO-relevant infrastructure data for both subsystems, CTMS-T and ATO-TS, at runtime. These three subsystems form the “ATO-Centre”.
ATO-relevant infrastructure data forms the trackside basis for highly automated driving. This data is created in the new ATO planning process. This planning process was initially designed for the "Digitaler Knoten Stuttgart" (DKS) project and further developed in parallel for the rollout of ATO. Of central importance here is that part of the ATO planning (ATO data point planning) is now an integral part of the ETCS project planning, but the actual ATO-TS planning process can be carried out independently of the ETCS planning. For the rollout of ATO GoA2, the process of ATO infrastructure data creation and centralised infrastructure data management is a crucial component. Together with the selected trackside system architecture, this provides the technical prerequisites for an efficient, digital rollout.
If you would like to find out more about the rollout of ATO GoA2 and the planning process behind it: In a technical article in the current issue of Signal & Draht magazine (11/24), our experts have explained the track-side system architecture of ATO GoA2 as well as the components and application of the ATO planning process in detail.
