Application and perspectives for interoperable systems in Italy and Europe

This paper on the application and perspectives for interoperable systems in Italy and Europe is from the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer System Design and Operation in Railways and Other Transit Systems, held in Beijing, China, in 2010. The authors consider some of the new solutions that have been applied in order to simplify and to improve public transport services, without changing trains and providing a fast, direct link from the city to the outlying regions. Solutions considered include interoperable transport systems, including light rail, tram-train, and train-tram systems. The “tram-train” concept indicates vehicles which operate on railway lines in suburban areas, but that are also able to work on a tramway net to supply a capillary service in the urban area. The authors describe the tram-train solutions used in a few European cities: heavy models that use train performances and technical standards similar to railway rolling stock, including in the cities of Karlsruhe, Saarbrucken, Chemnitz and Kassel; and light systems that use vehicles more similar to tramway designs, including Nordhausen, Zurich, and Vienna. The authors contend that the tram-train represents the missing link between urban tramway and railway systems, whose transport capability depends only on how the infrastructures are used. Another non conventional and lower cost model is the “Stadtbahn” which have diverted in-town sections of their system underground; some of these include Stuttgart, Frankfurt A/M, Bochum, and Koln. They also outline some of the systems used in Italy, notably in Milan and Turin, that are based on the light rail model. The authors conclude that local public transport is far more developed in other European countries than in Italy, where development is hampered by rigid regulation on the use of rail networks. Interoperable systems have a positive impact on efficiency, effectiveness, and passenger comfort.