OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CONCEPTS FOR RAILWAY OPERATION WITH VIRTUAL TRAIN-SETS

The paper presents an operational and safety concept for railway operation with virtual train-sets. Virtual train-sets are defined to be a platoon of module trains which are linked by a wireless informational interconnection instead of a conventional mechanical connection. The module trains offer a customization of railway transports according to customer's needs. The flexible connection also enables dynamic train coupling and splitting outside of stations, which offers flexibility for the railway traffic which is presently only available in road traffic. In order to establish new railway operational concepts an approval phase including a safety case is required. This paper shows the basic operational approach and shows a method for a safety analysis method based on condition events nets.