In this work, we present an on-board solution for train position tracking that can be used in cases of GPS failures and that does not suffer from the error accumulation problem of Dead Reckoning (DR). It is based on Received Signal Strength (RSS) measured in radio communication systems by several mobile stations having antennas placed on top of different carriages of the train. As the RSS is af...

We present a new, biologically-inspired algorithm for the problem of covering a given region with wireless “units” (sensors or base-stations). The general problem, framed mathematically as the problem of covering a polygon with a minimum number of circles, is applicable both to sensor networks in which the units are sensors with known sensing range and to wireless networks in which the units ar...

Process operators at large railway stations have the difficult task to secure a fluent train traffic flow while minimizing deviations from established timetables. Variation in actual train departure times is inevitable due to many circumstances such as arrival delays and fluctuations in alighting and boarding time, even if some buffer time is contained in the dwell time. Moreover, a departure m...

We demonstrate the ability of Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) sensors to protect large areas from unauthorized activities in railway scenarios such as stations or tunnels. We report on the technological strategy adopted to protect a specific depot, representative of a common scenario for security applications in the railway environment. One of the concerns in the protection of a railway area center...

The location problem with mobile facilities is motivated by a real-life railway construction project. In railway construction, (im)mobile concrete batching facilities are located to build viaducts and tunnels on a line over a planning horizon. The problem is to determine the number and types of facilities to be located, to schedule the movement of mobile facilities, and to make concrete product...