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In General News

The Fifth International Conference on Railway Technology Submission – Railway Cyber Security and TS50701

The Fifth International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance is being held in Montpellier, France from the 22nd to the 25th of August. Digital Transit have submitted a paper for this conference titled “Railway Cyber Security and TS50701”. The paper was written by Dr Howard J. Parkinson (DTL), Daniel Basher (DTL) and Gary Bamford (Arnmore Limited).

The themes for this conference will include (but are not limited to):

  • Rolling Stock
  • Infrastructure
  • Energy and Environment
  • Signalling and Communication
  • Operations
  • Strategies and Economics
  • Emerging Technologies

Digital Transit focused on the field of Cyber Security in the paper, specifically looking at the operational technology cyber security (OTCS) of rail systems, and how they are lagging behind other industries such as aviation. For the short paper, standards, guidance and research papers including the new CENELEC technical specification TS50701 were reviewed. Gaps in the coverage of this literature were identified, as well as further work that needs to be done to ensure the railway becomes more cyber secure in the future.

Some of the key findings of the paper included:

  1. The IEC 62443 family of standards and guidance provides comprehensive guidance on securing control systems and are applicable internationally. However, the railway has many unique features that require specialised requirements, specifically the distributed nature and the complicated ownership model that the railway employs, that IEC 62443 does not consider. TS50701 now fills this gap in coverage.
  2. There was no evidence that the research sufficiently identifies the consequences of cyber-attacks for use in a risk assessment. In comparison safety risk assessments have access to clearer consequences for accidents [7]
  3. To help improve TS50701, further case studies are required on its application. It needs further work before it becomes an Euronorm.

Image from: https://www.cencenelec.eu/news-and-events/

In General News

Digital Transit collaboration with Huddersfield University

Digital Transit recently took a trip to the Institute of Railway Research at Huddersfield University for a business development meeting, as well as to see their new robotics facilities. A tour was given by Prof. Gareth Tucker, a specialist in vehicle-track interaction.

Previously Digital Transit have made use of the facilities at the IRR, specifically the THOMoS high fidelity motion simulator, and are looking to collaborate in the future utilising the Pantograph test rig.

The IRR now has a new facility, which simulates a train maintenance depot. It is equipped with two large KUKA robotic arms, which have pinpoint accuracy and 7 degrees of freedom. These arms can be equipped with a multitude of equipment. One is currently equipped with a LIDAR sensor, allowing it to fully map out the bogie currently in the ‘depot’.

Underneath the bogie is another, smaller robotic arm. Because it is smaller, it is safer to use whilst people are present, and so can be easily programmed and tested in situ.

In the future Digital Transit hope to work on innovative projects alongside the IRR, which may include automatically cleaning the underside of diesel trains, and inspecting train bogeys for defects using machine vision.

 

In General News

Digital Transit hosts first Interactive Zoom Call for TS50701 Course

Digital Transit is currently holding a 6 week blended learning course covering the new CENELEC TS50701 technical specification. After a successful first two weeks, covering modules 1 to 4, we held our first interactive call with the course participants.

The call was a great success, with participants from all over the world including Austria, Canada and Australia. Some great discussions were had regarding the way standards provide different definitions for certain key cybersecurity terms – and how these can be complimentary to one another. The first four modules were very high level, and in the coming weeks a more in depth look into the system lifecycle will be delivered.

 

For more information about our course, you can go to the link below – or contact us at info@digitalrail.co.uk

Training TS50701

In General News

Digital Transit Providing Training for New CENELEC TS 50701 Cybersecurity Technical Specification

The railway sector is facing a new challenge: the Network Information Security (NIS) regulations. According to a 2020 survey by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), only 33% of rail operators of essential services (OES) have fully implemented defensive measures against cyber-attacks, as recommended by NIS regulations. This places their software under serious threat – not to mention their compliance with regulations. When security breaches occur the ripple effect throughout an organisation can be vast, with implications that are both financial and personal. There may also be implications concerning system safety and resilience.

Using industry standards is a great way to meet these regulations. The new CENELEC TS50701 technical specification provides guidance specific to the rail industry, guiding you through production of a cyber secure system through the whole life cycle. In order to better understand this technical specification, Digital Transit are providing a course designed to give you the fundamentals of how to best use and understand this document.

The course is an introduction to the major themes of cyber security and will start you on a journey to the creation of a secure rail operation. You will be able to communicate effectively, make informed trade-offs, assess risk, improve defences, and reduce vulnerabilities in your systems.

The course content is mapped to:
• Industry standard competencies, skills and evidence requirements relevant to rail safety work (see our website for details)
• Industry regulations
• National and international standards

 

For more information about our course, you can go to the link below – or contact us at info@digitalrail.co.uk

Training TS50701

In General News

Digital Transit Developing New Innovative Deployable Train Step

Digital Transit, in cooperation with the Engineering Department at Lancaster University, are developing the ‘Automatic Deployable Train Step Unit’, or Deployable Step for short. The step aims to minimise the gap at the interface between a train and the railway station platform.

Boarding and alighting the train carriage is one of the highest risk aspects of rail travel. Risk to passengers at the Platform Train Interface (PTI) is equivalent to approximately 13 equivalent fatalities each year, and accounts for 48% of the total passenger fatality risk on the mainline railway network in the United Kingdom (UK). The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) state that “The railway is a key way for people to access employment, health services, education and leisure. It should be accessible to all. This includes:  Physical accessibility for the less able, elderly and those with children and luggage” [2, p.9]. Therefore, the rail industry has a legal and social responsibility to ensure that all passengers have safe access to this mode of public transport, and an engineering solution is required to overcome these problems at the PTI.

The problem is due in part to the physical distance between the train and platform, both vertically and horizontally. As well as creating a risk of passengers falling between the platform and the train, the gap means that people experience difficulties in accessing carriages. This particularly affects passengers with reduced mobility.

Platform height and width vary greatly on the railway and it would not be practicable to redesign all platforms to a standard height. The problem is exacerbated by the fact the train step position varies widely across train fleets.

So what is the solution?

The solution is a deployable step that automatically minimises the gap at any unique station platform and the corresponding gap present at the PTI.

Based upon the gap, a moveable step is deployable to a calculated position in the horizontal and vertical plane, coordinated in order to reduce the PTI gap to an acceptable distance. The step system determines the distance between the static step edge and the platform edge in the horizontal and vertical plane, and how far to extend the step so that the new gap is acceptable to passengers with additional needs.

The deployable step consists of three parts: two mechanisms that attach to either side of a static step, and a secondary step that attaches to the bottom of the two aforementioned mechanisms. The step system can be made of any durable material. Inside the casing of the step mechanism two driving mechanisms are held, one allowing movement in the horizontal direction and another allowing movement in the vertical direction.

The deployable step is designed for railway applications and is fitted to rolling stock. It fits within the standard vehicle gauge of the train in accordance with the standard [RSSB GERT8073]. Finally, the deployable step is retrofittable or can be fitted to new trains and does not require intrusion inside the train body.

Here is a video of the step in action!

In General News

Digital Transit becomes Cyber Essentials Certified

 

Digital Transit is officially certified by Cyber Essentials, a government scheme that helps businesses protect themselves against cyber attacks.

This certification confirms Digital Transit’s IT system is secure against cyber attacks, and that any personal or sensitive information is kept safe from online criminals.

The assessment criteria included:

  • Ensuring software is secure and up-to-date
  • Checking that firewalls are in places to defend against cyber criminals
  • Making sure employees don’t put the company at risk by providing a code of conduct when using company IT resources

Cyber Essentials will be renewed every year going forwards to show our ongoing commitment to cybersecurity.

In General News

Tram 35: The World’s First 5G Tram

We were down at Midland Metro Limited depot yesterday uploading our Machine Vision software onto Tram 35. Tram 35 has been 5G enabled by Icomera as part of the West Midland 5G project. Our Machine Vision system “RailSight(R)” uses Convolutional Neural Networks to

detect suspicious packages on the tram,

detect dangerous situations for boarding passengers

detect passengers with additional needs

count the number of passengers on the tram.

The system will be extensively trialled over the coming months and Digital Rail will be looking to sell licences for the software later in the year.

The hardware installation has been provided by DG8 in Derby. We will be testing in passenger service soon and Tram 35 will become well known as the testbed for new technologies and connectivity in the railway. This picture shows the GPUs in-situ on the tram.

 

Here you can see our intelligent Machine Vision “RailSight(R)” software being uploaded onto the GPUs.

In General News

Transport competition winner: Tram Safety , Digital Rail win 5G-enabled Road and Rail Transport Trials

Collaborators – Digital Rail (Lead Partner), Icomera, Classone Systems, and Midland Metro Limited

Currently, trains and trams across the UK suffer from a number of potential safety risks, which are begin compounded through the rise of automation on services.

For instance, if sensor detecting doors fail, they have the potential to cause trap-and-drag incidents and there is not always a staff member on hand to help with this potentially dangerous situation.

Some of the greatest inefficiencies are most evident to those who require extra assistance in boarding public transport, where there is often an expectation that they should have booked in advance to ensure staff are available to assist them. 

Tram Safety is a project operated by Digital Rail, which is aiming to provide a cutting-edge CCTV Video analytics system can automatically alert staff. 

Able to be retrofit to existing CCTV systems, Tram Safety can detect safety and accessibility issues, such as trap and drag incidents or when a passenger who needs assistance has arrived at a platform. Where an issue may arise, the programme sends an alert to staff, who receive a live video stream over the 5G network, straight to their device.

The project will also look to deliver improvements in general accessibility for all passengers, with the potential to superimpose lights into the floors of the station, which can be used for directions to lifts, platforms and any other areas of the station. This is a unique feature of the project that will have positive impact on all passengers looking to navigate through the station, which can be particularly difficult when busy.

The project will also look to resolve security issues, including unclaimed bags left on transport, or if a passenger takes the wrong luggage. It can provide Yellow Line Alerts to drivers and improved business information for operators and authorities. 

The level of connectivity provided by Tram Safety would have previously been unachievable with 4G technology, but now, thanks to 5G’s low latency, higher bandwidth and capacity, greater safety is very achievable. The vast amounts of data that need to be processed is bandwidth intensive, especially for upload. The low latency facilitates the instantaneous alert of the staff members towards a situation that needs assistance, something 4G technology simply didn’t allow.

The project will take place over nine months, during that time the technology will be fully developed and integrated within the systems, prior to its deployment onto West Midlands Metro trams for comprehensive testing.

 

In General News

Digital Rail join HS2 Innovation Accelerator


Digital Rail® beat off tough competition to get selected for the HS2 Innovation Accelerator. Over 200 high-tech companies applied but only a few made it through.

The assistive technology, RailSight®, from Digital Rail® helps less able persons navigate railway stations and is cutting edge. It gives Digital Rail® the opportunity to be at the heart of station development where the customer is put first in the design process. This work builds upon a system already on Chippenham station where people in wheelchairs or with guide dogs are detected by the intelligent vision system using existing CCTV. A light is beamed onto the platform informing the individual that assistance has been sought. Staff are notified on a smart app so they can provide assistance. 

Digital Rail® believes that less able passengers should be able to turn up at the station the same as anyone else without having to book in advance, something RailSight helps to ensure.

Another feature of the system is that people with large pieces of luggage are detected and directed via lighting to the lifts.