Satellites-enhanced railway systems: affordable positioning for next-generation freight trains and related applications

In recent years, the European Union has intensified efforts to promote freight transport by rail, with the goal of reducing road congestion, lowering CO2 emissions and improving logistics efficiency on a continental scale. However, for railways to truly represent a competitive alternative to road transport, several challenges must be addressed, including the use of outdated rolling stock and the need for more advanced traffic management technologies, especially at terminals, where the shunting and handling operations have a significant impact on overall transport times. In this evolving context, an innovative approach is proposed, combining a low-cost satellite positioning system with the introduction of a new freight train concept featuring distributed power, remote diagnostics and electro-pneumatic braking. The train, being a complex system composed of several interconnected components, must meet the essential requirements defined by RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, Safety). With this integration, the system’s performance is further strengthened, leading to improvements in both train management and infrastructure. This work pursues two key objectives: first, to develop a precise, reliable and cost-effective localization method that complies with CENELEC standards by exploiting also the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) provided by the EUSPA (the EU space agency); second, to analyze how a next-generation freight train, integrated with the proposed system, can improve operational performance within terminals, supporting automation and process optimization. The use of open-source software and free services demonstrates that economically accessible solutions can still provide high reliability and accuracy while also helping to reduce the significant costs associated with a complex system such as an electric multiple-unit freight train. The thesis work is structured in several phases: it begins with a review of the most significant projects from the past two decades that have applied satellite positioning in the railway sector, followed by a detailed description of the methodology and tools used for this specific application. Two case studies are then analyzed, involving two different terminals: the SITO logistics center and the Genova Pra’ terminal. At SITO, the goal was to validate the positioning system, supported by microsimulation with the Treno/Trenissimo suite. At Genova Pra, microsimulation and discrete event simulation (DES) techniques were employed, using both the aforementioned suite as well as AnyLogic software, to assess the system’s potential for optimizing operations and reducing dwell times. Both case studies were preceded by a road-test campaign to evaluate the system’s real-world performance and capabilities. The adoption of this approach can therefore represent an important step towards a more efficient and competitive rail freight system, making rail transport an increasingly viable alternative to road transport and fostering the development of a multimodal network that can meet the sustainability and interoperability requirements demanded at European level.