The ERTMS (European Train Management System) has been developed by the European Union (EU) to enhance safety, increase efficiency and to cross-border interoperability creating a unique solution fulfilling a standardized certification process. The ERTMS being able to automatically stop the train to overcome human errors has achieved the highest track record in terms of safety over several billionkm travelled each years. GNSS positioning, bearer-independent telecoms and ATO (Automatic Train Operation) are the new features for enhancing the ERTMS in the path to fully autonomous operations. In the same period, the automotive industry has launched ambitious plans for the connected cars and autonomous driving applications are emerging as the next wave of innovation. This paper evaluates the challenges to sharing intelligent infrastructure means, by combining the strengths of the safety benchmark achieved on the rail transport with the mass production capability of the automotive industry to lower the costs. In this scenario, rail and automotive becoming tightly intertwined can get a grip in the race towards a fully automation affordable and safe, giving birth to autonomous vehicles able to travel within virtual rails as “trains” on the road. To this aim we will introduce the two test bed in Italy respectively for validating the ERTMS with GNSS positioning and public telecoms networks and for testing FCA Ducato vans to operate at SAE level 3 automation exploiting the new GALILEO and 5 G services.
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