Europe’s Rail – R2DATO

The R2DATO project is one of the six Flagship Projects within the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking. Europe's Rail primary goal is to pave the way for a highly efficient and fully integrated European railway network. By removing barriers to interoperability and crafting comprehensive solutions spanning traffic management, vehicles, infrastructure, and services, we're driving rapid adoption and implementation of projects and innovations. Europe's Rail's vision harnesses the immense potential of digitalisation and automation, resulting in reduced costs, amplified capacity, and elevated flexibility and reliability across the rail sector. All of this rests on a robust reference functional system architecture, collaboratively developed with the European Union Agency for Railways.

Within this overarching objective, Europe's Rail strives to facilitate a seamless transition toward a European rail system that is not only more appealing and user-friendly but also highly competitive, cost-effective, and sustainable within the broader mobility landscape. Our efforts align with the broader mission of fostering a potent and globally competitive European rail industry while contributing to the realization of the Single European Railway Area (SERA).

At the heart of this initiative lies the R2DATO project, an endeavor funded through Europe's Rail. Our core focus lies in propelling railway automation to new frontiers and harnessing the potential of digitalisation to amplify the efficiency, intelligence, and ecological integrity of our mobility frameworks. Under the coordination of SNCF, the R2DATO project aims to seamlessly integrate ongoing and future innovations in digital and automation technologies into rail operations. These innovations will empower operators to swiftly and economically deploy advancements.

In concrete terms, R2DATO focuses on upgrading existing railway networks. Through increased punctuality, reliability, staff productivity, and enhancements to rolling stock and infrastructure, we aim to elevate the capacity of our rail systems. Our approach taps into the transformative power of automation and digitalisation, with a dual focus on mainline and urban rail networks, even encompassing autonomous tram operations.

Within the R2DATO project, RISE is an affiliated entity of Trafikverket (a founding member of Europe's Rail). The dedicated team at RISE, led by Marvin Damschen, will delve into innovative operational solutions from a Swedish perspective. Our specific emphasis will center on the capacity gains and cybersecurity implications arising from increased connectivity between trains. One main investigation involves the concept of Virtually Coupled Train Sets (VCTS), aimed at unlocking advancements in rail efficiency and safety.