Intelligent Train Control and Monitoring Technologies

Dear Colleagues,

Compared to conventional transportation systems, railway transportation has greater energy and transport efficiency. In recent years, many countries are now constructing smart railway systems. In a smart railway system, the train control and monitoring system (TCMS) plays a crucial role in controlling trains. For safety, modern TCMS systems collect vehicle information for drivers and remote monitoring personnel and provide user interfaces for them to operate and move vehicles. Although the TCMS may not be as critical as the power system or the vehicle’s physical structure, it remains the essential component to achieve safety. The TCMS is also a vital system for automatic driving. We can say that the TCMS can be seen as the “nervous system” in a train system.  The TCMS transmits information from sensors to the control center, i.e., the brain, for processing and deciding how to react.

The TCMS contains some subsystems, including train communication networks, mobile communication networks, vehicle control units, and human–machine interfaces. These subsystems assist drivers or the remote center to ensure that the train is working well. In recent years, with the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and communication technology, modern TCMSs can provide more functionalities. Leveraging an efficient and intelligent TCMS to assist traffic managers to improve safety, enhance maintenance, and reduce costs is promising. Therefore, this Special Issue explores potential TCMS technology developments and applications.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Intelligent TCMS architecture;
• Resource management in future TCMSs;
• Redundancy design for TCMS networks;
• Security and reliability issues in TCMSs;
• 5G/B6G communication for TCMSs;
• Standardization of next-generation TCMSs;
• Artificial intelligence (AI) applications for TCMSs;
• Internet of things (IoT) technology in TCMSs;
• Subsystem connections in TCMSs;
• Verification and validation of TCMSs;
• Recent applications and developments for TCMSs.

Dr. Mengshiuan Pan
Dr. Ming-An Chung
Dr. Cheng-Hao Huang
Guest Editors

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