IEEE 1472: an open-source communications protocol for railway vehicles

Railway vehicles are complex systems that are an essential component of any national transportation infrastructure. But railway vehicles are also mission-critical systems that must support the comfort and safety of passengers. It is therefore essential that these systems be the epitome of fault-tolerant control technology. The Rail Transit Vehicle Interface (RTVI) standards committee of the IEEE´s Vehicular Technology Society developed IEEE 1473 (Standard for Communications Protocol Aboard Trains) for use on passenger rail vehicles in North America. As it turns out, the standard has become international and appears in a wide range of applications on freight and passenger trains. The adoption of the open 1473 protocol and the widespread use of wireless communications standards such as IEEE 802.11 provide additional opportunities for further integrating train line applications with emerging Web services promises exciting scenarios for travelers and enhanced operational success for systems maintainers. And maintenance engineers at wayside stations could integrate information from moving trains with diagnostic data in stationary repositories of service data for enhanced system safety and longevity.