MISTRAL will elaborate the Technical Specification of the future communication system for all railways in light of the migration from the current obsolete GSM-R.The new radio system will leverage the broadband capacity of IP-based wireless communication to enhance signaling but also to make possible innovative services for both users and train automation/control.To achieve the objective, MISTRAL will generate firstly a portfolio of foreseeable future communication scenarios. Then, a Techno-Economic Proposition consistent with future scenarios will be defined, including a portfolio of innovative services ushered-in by new technologies and compliant with new users requirements as well as with safety, security and QoS requirements. Such Techno-Economic proposition will be subject to a Business Viability Analysis - meant to gauge and optimize the total-cost-of-ownership of the new communication system - and to a Technical Viability Analysis that will investigate the compliance with the new requirements. Subsequently, the results of such Business and Technical Viability Analysis will be used as basis to refine and finalize the Validated Techno-Economic proposition, which will thus rely on an optimized life-cycle cost and on a sound portfolio of innovative services. The Validated Techno-Economic proposition will be the main output of MISTRAL, i.e. the 'Technical Specification' scope of the topic. Its design and validation will be supported by an External Stakeholder Committee, involving selected key players in the Railway domain, external to the MISTRAL Consortium. In addition, MISTRAL will disseminate project findings to relevant stakeholders and communities and will ensure the sustainability and impact of the new specified communication system, In terms of far-reaching impact, MISTRAL will lay the foundations for the next-generation train-to-wayside communication systems, paving the way for a more competitive, attractive and sustainable European railway ecosystem.

The 4SECURail proposal addresses the Open Call S2R-OC-IP2-2019 "Demonstrator development for the use of Formal Methods in railway environment-Support to implementation of CSIRT to the railway sector." The Open Call takes a two-fold perspective by working, on the one hand, on the Demonstrator for the use of Formal Methods (FM), and on the other hand, on the implementation of Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) for Railways. Work stream 1 "Demonstrator development for the use of FormalMethods in Railway Environment" will provide a demonstrator of state-of-the-art Formal Methods and tools to evaluate the learning curve and to perform a cost/benefit analysis of the adoption of formal methods in railway industry. The following overall objectives will be targeted: 1) The development of the demonstrator; 2) The identification of a railway signalling subsystem, described by means of standard interfaces and 3) The specification and evaluation of the cost/benefit ratio and learning curves for adopting the demonstrator in the railway environment. Work stream 2 "Support to implementation of CSIRT to the railway sector" will address TD2.11, establishing a CSIRT collaborative environment.The work stream 2 specific objectives are: 1) To define stakeholder requirements for a European Rail CSIRT collaborative activity, a 2) To test and validate the draft CSIRT model; 3) To identify relevant platforms to support CSIRT collaboration and, based on requirements and CSIRT model, specify and adapt to meet CSIRT needs and 4) To test and updated the CSIRT collaborative environment so as to ensure meeting user needs. The 4SECURail proposal answers to both technical topics, adopting common Management and Dissemination with a well-balanced effort.

The ASTRail project falls within the scope of the topic S2R-OC-IP2-01-2017 – Operational conditions of the signalling and automation systems; signalling system hazard analysis and GNSS SIS characterization along with Formal Method application in railway field, which is connected with the complementary topics S2R-CFM-IP2-01-2015 and S2R-CFM-IP2-01-2017. The ASTRail project will act to enhance the signalling and automation system by searching innovative solutions that exploit cutting edge technologies already present in sectors different from the rail such as the avionics or the automotive sector. Investigation of such technologies and assessment of their reusability in the railway field will be done taking in particular care all issues related to safety and performance in the rail system. Some ASTRail Partners have already participated in S2R projects, while others have been specifically involved to cope with some vertical tasks. From a different point of view, the Consortium is well balanced with both research organizations and industrial stakeholders of the rail domain.

The rail industry is facing important challenges as the average age of the workforce keeps growing while less young workers are interested in the physically demanding work required. Smart technologies can help to reduce work demands, avoid incidents and accidents, and support workers during heavy activities. STREAM support LEAN execution of intelligent maintenance process by introducing technologies that cause negligible modification of current working procedures, yet strongly improve operation planning, safety and performance. STREAM will develop two smart technologies employing environment perception and human intention principles enabling prevention and risk mitigation. First, STREAM will develop a control platform (OTA3M) adapted to existing rail excavators, by exploiting sensors, hydraulic actuators and software which will allow excavators to conduct multi-purpose autonomous operations enabling safe worker-machine collaboration. The OTA3M controls the excavator motion autonomously along tracks and introduces the autonomous capacity of manipulating heavy components relying on motion/force controls, obstacle detection and collision avoidance. Second, STREAM will deploy a modular active exoskeleton (MMPE) to reduce the risk of injury by assisting workers in heavy activities. The MMPE is tailored to track workers to reduce the risk of injury at the lumbar area by reducing biomechanical loading for a vast variety of manual handlings. MMPE understands human intention by exploiting human-activity recognition, proprioceptive sensors, and control strategies, and reducing worker’s efforts by applying specific forces, synchronized with the musculoskeletal system. The MMPE design emphasizes ergonomic aspects and PPEs integration to ensure comfort and usability making it suitable for workers. The consortium, assisted by an end-user board, will assess the devices from the perspectives of performance, ethics, and economic rationale to prepare further commercial exploitation

The ETALON project focus is the adaptation of energy harvesting methodologies for trackside and on-board signaling and communication devices. The project scope is divided into two work-streams. The first is the development of competitive solutions for enhancing train integrity functionalities, including provision of suitable energy supply for on board train integrity devices. This is particularly targeted at cases where trains (especially freight trains) do not have any power supply available on the wagons, emphasis is also placed on considering the proposition of a robust communication system that will overcome on-board communication issues within the rail environment. The second work-stream focuses on the development of competitive energy harvesting solutions for enhancing trackside object controller deployment, with the vision to minimizing trackside infrastructure, especially cabling. Specifically relevant to the S2R, the ETALON project Technical Objectives are to: 1: Identify, adapt and validate effective solutions for on-board Train Integrity radio communication systems (including antennas suitable to be installed in the queue of a very long train); 2: Identify, adapt and validate effective energy generation solutions for feeding on-board Train Integrity systems; 3: Identify the most suitable energy harvesting solution for new trackside Object Controllers, considering both a technical and economic point of view; 4: Demonstrate the efficiency of proposed energy harvesting solutions for trackside Object Controllers, ensuring appropriate safety considerations; As a result of these activities, ETALON will specify and develop energy harvesting solutions to support on-board train integrity and trackside object controllers which are economically viable and suitable for application, particularly considering modern radio communication requirements and safety critical aspects. The prototypes will be tested and validated in controlled as well as real environments.