Cloud-Edge-IoT solutions: Present and Future for Railway sector

Cloud-Edge-IoT (CEI) innovations enables the collection and processing of real-time data directly from sensors and devices installed on trains and railway infrastructure. One of the most obvious benefits is the improvement in operational efficiency. By having access to real-time data on the condition of trains, tracks and other critical components, we can optimize routes and improve the punctuality of services.
In addition, CEI solutions allows railway companies to improve the safety of their services, monitoring the state of the infrastructure in real time to detect any anomaly or excessive wear that could imply a risk in the railway operation, and, of course, optimize the maintenance tasks, transforming a corrective and preventive, to a predictive maintenance.
In this post of the ICOS project blog we want to show some of the opportunities that the railway sector can have, thanks to the CEI technologies, such as those developed in ICOS.

RAILWAY OPERATIONS
To monitor and manage rail traffic in real time, IoT devices and edge computing are used in automatic train control (ATC) and signalling systems, or even in autonomously operating trains (ATO). In this way, this enables train flow to be optimized, increasing the frequency of circulations and minimizing delays or incidents. In addition, real-time power consumption monitoring allows immediate adjustment, thanks to edge computing, of power consumption, optimizing the energy used. All this information is collected and analyzed in the cloud to identify and develop strategies to reduce electricity consumption.

ROLLING STOCK
The number of sensors present on trains is increasing all the time. This includes sensors for monitoring and controlling climate control to improve comfort, as well as those dedicated to safety and maintenance, ranging from those that monitor the status of engines and brakes, to cameras and security systems, fire detection or vibration and energy efficiency sensors. All IoT elements monitor the behavior of the different elements, enabling edge computing, and allowing historical patterns to be analyzed in the cloud in order to improve and optimize all rolling stock systems.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPERSTRUCTURE
Numerous types of IoT sensors can be found throughout the railway infrastructure, enabling real-time detection of anomalies and wear and tear. Immediate real-time decision-making allows for a substantial improvement in safety.
In addition, it enables corrective maintenance tasks to be improved and optimized, and preventive maintenance tasks to be planned.
But perhaps in the case of railway infrastructure, the biggest improvement we find is the possibility that, due to cloud computing, railway companies can improve the maintenance process to optimize it and develop predictive maintenance, thanks to tools such as digital twins. This is undoubtedly the future of infrastructure management, as cost reduction and task optimization improve exponentially as more data is available, and as all the elements of the system are more controlled.

USER
The train passenger also sees his or her journey improved thanks to CIS technologies. Although not always in a direct way, the user sees an improvement in their experience thanks to the updated communication in real time about timetables, delays or connections, both on the screens of the stations and in multiple mobile apps. In addition, the improvement of the services offered is also being studied thanks to the collection of user data, allowing an improvement in leisure offers or the possibility of receiving personalized alerts according to the passenger's preferences.

CONCLUSION
As we have seen, the integration of Cloud-Edge-IoT technologies is already a reality in the rail sector, revolutionizing the way all tasks in the rail transport ecosystem are operated and managed. All these improvements allow companies in the sector to improve their services, increase safety and optimize the tasks performed, and also allow users to obtain a more sustainable, punctual, reliable and safe service. All of this results in the sector's need to become the main means of transport for many users, making it as sustainable, efficient and reliable as possible.
The rail sector can take advantage of Cloud-Edge-IoT solutions on all fronts. It can improve operations, train and infrastructure maintenance and user experience.