Since its creation in 2001, Systerel has developed and consolidated strong expertise in the railway transportation domain (mainline rail, metro, and light rail), covering:
- Wayside equipment for signaling, interlocking and control systems
- On-board equipment embedded in locomotives and railroad cars
- Commissioning, Testing, and Maintenance tools used during system design, integration, and operational phases
We are primarily involved in critical systems engineering (up to SIL 4) on projects such as ERTMS, CBTC, interlockings, speed control systems, and onboard display systems.
We deliver solutions across all system lifecycle phases, from preliminary studies to deployment: requirements and specifications, development, V&V, and safety studies.
Safety-critical software development
Whether in specification, design, development, or integration, Systerel is involved in projects such as:
- A full SIL 4 implementation of a tramway interlocking on a programmable logic controller (PLC), covering the entire process from software specification through approval by the certification authority
- Functional and safety-related developments (Ada, B method, and formal proof) up to SIL 4, including equipment testing on target and host platforms, test simulators, functional interfaces, and other components interfacing with CBTC application environments
- Development of wayside Zone Controller (ZC) software for automatic CBTC metro systems using formal methods – AREVA (SSIL 4)
- Software and graphical user interfaces for a modular range of ERTMS DMI products
Configuration data preparation and validation
Railway systems are highly configurable and their data is an integral part of system safety.
As a key player in the railway sector, Systerel has developed essential expertise in the preparation and verification of configuration data for signaling, CBTC, and ERTMS systems.
Systerel also offers a dedicated tool for the formal validation of configuration data: OVADO²®.
Most notable recent achievements include:
- Establishment of a complete process and toolchain for preparing all configuration data for a CBTC system
- Data validation for the deployment of the EOLE NExTEO E project
- Full formal validation of the data for a Paris metro line
- Development and operational maintenance of a complete data production line for a wayside equipment
Tools
The development of safety-critical systems often relies on dedicated toolchains. Systerel teams have developed high-performance domain-specific tools.
Railway Line Data Visualization Solution
Systerel develops a railway line data visualization solution that provides a cartographic representation of tracks, equipment, point objects, zones, and their detailed characteristics.
Systerel has adapted this solution for RATP, which notably uses it as a support tool for verifying the configuration data of Paris Metro Line 13.
Signaling Engineering Workbench
Together with CEA List, Systerel contributes to the development of the Signaling Engineering Workbench (Atelier Métier de Signalisation – AMS) for SNCF Réseau. This workbench is dedicated to the specification and validation of next-generation computerized interlocking systems, based on formal methods.
CEA List provides expertise in modeling and language engineering, while Systerel contributes its know-how in formal methods and railway signaling.
This workbench will enable SNCF Réseau to optimize development costs and schedules for the functional aspects of future interlocking systems, while ensuring long-term control and sustainability.
RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, Safety)
Studies
Systerel conducts RAMS studies on products or systems related to railway signaling, including: definition of RAMS plans, risk analyses (PHA, FMEA, fault tree analysis, etc.), preparation of safety cases in accordance with the CENELEC EN 50128 standard, creation, management, and monitoring of the hazard log, studies based on compliance with the GAME principle, as well as reliability and availability analyses.
Assessment
Systerel provides independent review or technical support for its clients’ safety cases, including:
- Support for skills development related to CENELEC EN 50128:2011 SIL 2
- Safety software assessment at SIL 2
- FDMS assessment of the ATS+ equipment (supervision system for dense areas), as part of the EOLE (East–West Express Link) project, as well as the Mistral NG system
- Audit of data generation activities (DataPrep)
Study and validation of railway systems
When a system is critical, it is necessary to implement validation, verification, or proof activities that contribute to the development of the safety dossier.
Some of these activities rely on the use of formal methods, such as formal proof of the interlocking specification, expressed in the form of automata for a computerized signaling control center, or the verification of safety properties using Systerel Smart Solver.
Key customers
Alstom – Compagnie des Signaux – Equans – Hitachi Rail – RATP – SCLE – SICEF – Siemens – SNCF – THALES
Railway industry events
Systerel regularly participates in major railway industry events such as InnoTrans, SIFER, RSSRail, etc.
At these events, Systerel presents its railway expertise and product offerings, including:
