Integrating physics-based and network protocol design for safety-critical communication systems

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Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) is aimed at replacing conventional rail signalling with train control enabled by wireless communication between the train and a network of access points. In a cellular communication system, network outage may cause a few dropped calls; in a CBTC network it directly compromises the safety of train passengers. Therefore, CBTC systems are safety critical, meaning that their projected benefits have to be accompanied by high standards of reliability, beyond those of typical communication networks. As a growing number of Canadians, including urban commuters in large metropolitan areas, heavily depend on rail transportation, meeting the challenge of intelligent design, deployment and effective maintenance of secure and reliable CBTC systems is as timely as ever. Instead of seeking incremental improvements in the relatively mature state of the current approach to CBTC system design, we propose its fundamental reconsideration from the physical to the network level. To that end, the present proposal is focused on the integration of network protocol design with the modeling of the underlying physics of wireless propagation, overcoming the virtual separation of network design and operation along disciplinary boundaries. This new paradigm for communication system design can lead to CBTC technologies of enhanced robustness and reliability, which can effectively serve the public need for rail transportation safety and efficiency. The anticipated benefits of this research extend beyond wireless rail signalling to any safety-critical communication system, for commercial and defence applications. Along with addressing fundamental questions, research in this area can produce tangible benefits for an industry that has, over the years, created significant revenue in Canada and projected the strength of Canadian innovation abroad.