ATO in Sweden

Researchers: Emil Jansson (doctoral student), Anders Lindahl (project manager), and Oskar Fröidh , Nils Olsson and Olov Lindfeldt (supervisors)

Funding: Trafikverket (Swedish Transport Administration)

Implementation: 2021-2023

The project is focused on studying the conditions for implementing Automatic Train Operation (ATO), mainly levels GoA 3 and 4 for traffic on the Swedish railway system. In this Licentiate work, there are mainly three issues to be studied.

• Robustness, how drivers / staff on board affect operation during normal or disturbed traffic.
• Capacity, how can the capacity be improved by introducing ATO with different levels. That is, how can automation provide a more stable traffic which can lead to an efficiency with a shorter headway between the trains which leads to higher capacity.
• Profitability, how can automation and, above all, a reduction in train staff on board lead to a more profitable operation of train traffic?

Within the project, the implementation process of ATO with different levels will be studied. Different areas of technology will be specially studied. How does the communication between train and traffic control centers need to be dimensioned? How accurately does the position need to be calculated on an ongoing basis? How do the traffic control centers need to be designed to be able to function in relation to mixed traffic where a smaller or larger part of the vehicles are automated with different levels of ATO?

Initially, current traffic with drivers will be studied to see for which tasks in ordinary traffic and in case of disturbances that the driver has to deal with. Then follow up on how these tasks can be automated to eventually remove the need for a dedicated driver on-board.