The attractiveness of passenger rail transport is to be increased by digitizing and automating the existing rail network, e.g., by increasing flexibility for passengers with shorter intervals and connections at off-peak periods to enable higher capacity utilization of trains in a cost-effective manner. Within the framework of safe.trAIn, a consortium of rail industry, technology suppliers, research institutions, and standardization and testing organizations are working together with their complementary social and technical expertise to realize those visionary goals.

A major challenge is the practicable linking of AI processes with the requirements and approval procedures in the rail sector. One focus is on the development of standardized test methods and tools, in order to ensure approval-relevant product safety for the broad use of fully autonomous trains. In addition, the safety architecture will be concretized using the example of the driverless regional train, and a fully automated GoA4 system for this use case will be conceptually developed and validated in a virtual test field. Standards and specifications play a critical role in accelerating time-to-market access and the safe, robust, and trustworthy application of AI-based methods for driverless rail traffic.

DIN manages the work package Standardization and dissemination. The main goal is to transfer the relevant project results into standardization thus ensuring the utilization and a sustainable dissemination of the project results beyond the end of the project.

DIN first informs about the relevant existing standards and specifications, in order to jointly identify possible standardization potentials with the project partners in the next step and to finally transfer them into standardization projects. Relevant standardization approaches are also introduced into European and international Standardization via corresponding standardization committees. In addition, a concept will be developed to test a possible linkage between the two regulations of the New Legislative Framework and the existing CSA schemes for conformity assessment and, above all, for harmonization within the domestic market.

The safe.trAIn project is the first official lighthouse project of the AI standardization roadmap. The Lighthouse projects are of particular importance in the implementation of the AI standardization roadmap, which is why they enjoy increased attention from the stakeholders of standardization.

Standardization roadmap Artificial Intelligence

Project duration

01/2022 - 09/2024 (36 months) 

Project partners

• Siemens AG (Koordinator)
• Siemens Mobility GmbH (technischer Koordinator)
• BIT Technology Solutions GmbH
• Bridgefield GmbH
• Edge Case Research GmbH
• ITQ GmbH
• Merantix Labs GmbH
• SETLabs Research GmbH
• Verband der TÜV e. V.
• Fraunhofer IKS
• Hochschule Düsseldorf
• Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg
• Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e. V.
• Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (assoziiert)
• Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V.

For further information see https://safetrain-projekt.de

Project funding

The project is funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of the programme „New vehicle and system technologies“. Funding code: 19I21039O