For any modern railway system, signalling software is key to safety and increasing capacity and reducing human error. However, it is not easy to verify and check that this software is running as it should, and manual checking of these systems is time consuming and laborious.
The Railway Verification group at Swansea has developed state of the art software using new formal methods, which reduces the time taken to check the accuracy of signalling and communication systems.
Siemens Rail Automation have taken the Railway Verification group research and integrated it into their design of future signalling software for the UK environment. The group’s research has been incorporated into the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) guidance on future signalling developments and they have founded a new European Industrial Railway Forum made up of research and industry partners to develop formal methods in railway signalling.
