A MPTCP-Based Network Architecture for Intelligent Train Control and Traffic Management Operations

This paper investigates a novel communication system architecture for traffic management and data control in railway scenarios. The proposed solution should be integrated in the existing European Railway Traffic Management System/European Train Control System, the most advanced and successful standard even outside the European countries. Our system integrates public land mobile networks that usually offer best-effort packet services, with a quality-of-service (QoS) guaranteed satellite network. It represents a cost-effective substitution for 4G and 5G networks, aiming to replace current well-known GSM-R standard. The coexistence of heterogeneous networks is guaranteed by the multi-path transmission control protocol (TCP) protocol that addresses specific “add and drop” subflow policies and priority handling logics, in order to realize efficient seamless handovers. Providing priority to TCP subflows corresponds to select QoS-guaranteed, and the best effort networks able to fulfill railway requirements. The logic of adding and dropping subflows exploits both a real-time check of the current status of the serving network and “a priori” network performance information. Experimental results have been carried out in both city and harsh environments, where the main performance metrics (i.e., average delay, jitter, and bit rate) have been assessed.