ITK at the InnoTrans

The challenge: As a technology partner of DB Cargo AG, ITK Engineering plays a key role in advancing the digitalization of rail freight transport. The goal is to develop an infrastructure subsystem for autonomous shunting operations. The project poses a significant challenge, as it not only involves the development of complex software but also requires the solution to be seamlessly integrated into existing shunting yard operations.

The solution: Efficient and standards-compliant system development

• Development of an infrastructure-side subsystem comprising computer units with software and a user-friendly operator workstation
• Simple way to enter and manage movement commands for the operator of the fully automated shunting locomotive (VAL)
• Visualization of the position and status of the fully automated locomotives
• Secure communication between the infrastructure and the locomotive
• Integration of the solution into existing shunting yard operations
• Standards-compliant development process implemented in the Polarion ALM tool
• Certifiable development of the subsystem up to Safety Integrity Level 2 (SIL2)

The added value: Scalable solutions for automated shunting operations

• Customized infrastructure-side subsystem
• Efficient and safe operation of the fully automated shunting locomotive in the marshalling yard
• Well-thought-out modularization and high configurability enable flexible adaptation to diverse requirements
• Transferability to additional marshalling yards and applications
• Future-proof and scalable solution for the automation of rail transport

The challenge: For a leading system manufacturer, we were responsible for the requirements specification phase of the NeuPro subsystems: point, light signal and Generic IO, as well as maintenance and data management (MDM), including cyber security requirements. On this basis, we successfully developed and tested the MDM subsystem until formal acceptance.

The solution: Structured processes for digital interlockings

• Combined expertise in software development as well as project and process management
• In-depth knowledge of NeuPro specifications and technologies such as OPC UA
• Development of consolidated subsystem requirement specifications that include cyber security requirements
• Transformation subsystem requirements for the MDM into a formal software requirement specification
• System design and implementation using agile methods, GIT version control, and CI/CD pipelines
• Early establishment of a test environment to validate interfaces and ensure compliance with specifications and standards
• Agile working methods as part of the V-model and close collaboration with customer and operator to enable efficient development processes

The added value: Efficiency, quality, and security

• Clear, standards-compliant requirements that can be implemented directly, reduce development risks
• Structured processes, agile methods within V-model phases and state-of-the-art development techniques shorten development cycles
• High software quality and security through early integration of cyber security requirements
• Ensuring interoperability and standards compliance for interlocking solutions

The challenge: Develop standards-compliant control software for a modular system

The solution: A modular software platform that proved to be the decisive success factor

• A platform-based approach to develop software for a modular system
• An ingenious concept for software validation (especially during testing) and verification

Two tiers of development:

• Platform: The overall architecture, pre-validated software components (building blocks), application conditions
• Specifics: Extract software for specific system properties from the platform, then validate it

The added value: Greater flexibility, lower costs, faster time to market

• Modular platform enables software to be created for many systems – with just a few components to tailor to the given customer’s use case
• Pre-validated modules lighten the validation workload
• Optimized software creation and approval process speeds up time to market and brings down lifecycle costs

ITK Engineering developed a purely train-borne, precise localization solution for rail traffic. The MAROS sensor solution offers the benefits of precision and availability for localization, for example, for ETCS Level 3, Automatic Train Operation (ATO), and Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC). It does not require any additional infrastructure, so there is no need to invest in outboard hardware or shut down tracks for maintenance. The sensor can be used on all metal tracks worldwide and is impervious to weather and GNSS signal limitations.

The Magnetic Railway Onboard Sensor (MAROS) also plays a pivotal role in AutomatedTrain, a research project pursued by ITK and partners in industry and science to enable fully automated staging and stabling runs for trains using MAROS in combination with environmental detection technologies. The German government is providing 42.6 million euros in funding for the project up to 2026.

Our task:

• Assess the security level of processes and architectures in compliance with IEC 62443 and CLC/TS 50701
• Develop cyber security policies
• Conduct cyber security audits

Target systems:

• Passenger information system & CCTV
• Infrastructure surveillance & backend monitoring systems

Our task:

• Provide cyber security systems and requirements engineering services
• Advise on system hardening and secure configuration

The challenge: Lighten the heavy manual data-handling workload

The solution: Automate tasks with the MLOps pipeline

• Automate the provisioning of scalable cloud infrastructure
• Optimize the development workflow for machine learning algorithms
• Assure end-to-end traceability
• Reduce the human workload by selecting data via active learning

The added value: Optimized operations with the future-proof MLOps pipeline

• Developed the MLOps pipeline as part of the Sensors4Rail research project (sensor-based environment recognition systems)
• Boosted productivity and enabled continuous model improvement
• Tapped the full potential of all available data

The challenge: Enable smart maintenance for train door monitoring systems

The solution: Fast results delivered with the ITK Data Lab

• Rapidly pinpointed and specified the potential in the legacy data pipeline
• Identified several use cases, two being the defect detection tool and predictive maintenance
• Defect detection tool: Markedly increased the defect detection rate for doors; 30 percent of faults detected faster by automated routines; Doors stay operable longer and maintenance is easier to schedule

The added value: A far faster way to spot and tap data potential

The pre-developed ITK Data Lab serves to:

• Tap legacy data to create value
• Quickly pinpoint potential on the path to smart maintenance
• Deliver results with fast turnaround times and at low cost

Our distinctive methodological expertise enables us to deliver state-of-the-art, standards-compliant solutions for safety-critical railway software and systems engineering. Our comprehensive portfolio of services extends from consulting to training, and from individual software products through to system solutions. Our approach to safety-critical applications is underpinned by expert knowledge and cross-sector synergies. Everything you need in the way of risk management, traceability, and documentation comes from a single source.  

What we do at a glance:

• Modular software platforms/ architecture
• System design/ analysis
• Safety management
• Standards-compliant software development
• Testing strategies
• Cyber security: Analysis, concepts, consulting, and implementation

With a firm grasp of methods and tools, we provide holistic solutions to support you throughout the development process. We use model-based software development to make complex systems manageable. Quality assurance is a top priority. Our focus is on maintainability and sustainability of the development. Security functions and long lifecycles ensure processes remain reliable.  Our in-depth experience in this area also comes from the fields of aerospace and automation technology.

What we do at a glance:

• Integrated development pipeline (CI/CD)
• Model-based development
• State-of-the-art requirements engineering
• Tool-assisted development
• Formal methods, e.g. formal verification
• Hierarchical testing methods and test automation
• Agile development
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)
• Big data and data mining with cloud solutions

Our CENELEC reference workflow ensures the maintainability and expandability of our solutions: process-oriented and standard-compliant development of modular, scalable and testable architectures and software. It supports the entire life cycle from the creation of requirements to the assessment and additionally offers a high degree of automation as well as an immediate start of the project without high process planning effort.

ITK CENELEC reference workflow as per EN 50128/50657 or rather 50716 to SIL 4:

• Assessment with declaration of conformity by EBA evaluator
• Use of cross-industry experiences
• Predefined development process
• High consistency through tool-based process implementation

As your development partner, we work with you to put innovative, holistic railway solutions into practice. Anything goes, from TCMS and smart maintenance to electronic interlockings and passenger information systems. Compliance with standards, functional safety, and cyber security are always top priorities.

What we do at a glance:

• TCMS to comfort-and-convenience functions
• Embedded systems to smart maintenance
• Electronic interlockings to passenger information systems
• ETCS to ATO
• Safety to cyber security