On Some Aspects of Distributed Control Logic in Intelligent Railways

A comfortable, reliable, safe and environmentally friendly high-speed train journey that saves time and offers an unforgettable experience for passengers is not a dream. Passengers can enjoy panoramic views, delicious cuisine and use their mobile devices without restrictions. High-speed trains, powered by environmentally friendly methods, are a sustainable form of transport, reducing harmful emissions. Integrating intelligent control and management into railway networks has the capacity to increase efficiency and improve reliability and safety, as well as reduce development and maintenance costs. Future intelligent railway network architectures are expected to focus on integrated, multi-layered systems that deeply embed artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced communication technologies (5G/6G) to ensure intelligent operation, improved reliability and increased safety. Distributed intelligent control in railways refers to an advanced approach in which decision-making capabilities are distributed across network components (trains, stations, track sections, control centers) rather than being concentrated in a single central location. The recent advances in AI in railways are associated with numerous scientific papers that enable intelligent traffic management, automatic train control, and predictive maintenance, with each of the proposed intelligent solutions being evaluated in terms of key performance indicators such as latency, reliability, and accuracy. This study focuses on how different intelligent solutions in railways can be implemented in network components based on the requirements for real-time control, near-real-time control, and non-real-time operation. The analysis of related works is focused on the proposed intelligent railway frameworks and architectures. The description of typical use cases for implementing intelligent control aims to summarize latency requirements and the possible distribution of control logic between network components, taking into account time constraints. The considered use case of automatic train protection aims to evaluate the added latency of communication. The requirements for the nodes that host and execute the control logic are identified.