Post Ay5Cquqp1sJSydJUJM by ignaloidas@not.acu.lt
(DIR) More posts by ignaloidas@not.acu.lt
(DIR) Post #Ay4bAQP497e44wCqA4 by pony@blovice.bahnhof.cz
2025-09-10T19:44:03.689192Z
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@kate @jon @wanisbunes Calling it ETCS is... I mean, yes, but the entire extent of what was actually built is essentially a bunch of ballises at both ends of the line, a box with a control unit and the signage for it, that's pretty much it, it did cost something like 1.5m eur
(DIR) Post #Ay5CqstwHJcMvikwtM by jon@gruene.social
2025-09-10T11:24:42Z
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This is potentially very significant for the roll out of ETCS (a signaling and safety system for the whole continent for rail)Previously retrofitting old trains with ETCS has been hellish hard and/or expensive. The Signalling Company - a Belgian firm that belongs to Škoda, and has been working most closely with freight operator Lineas - has now got its first lower cost retrofit approved:https://thesignallingcompany.com/first-locomotive-authorised-with-the-signalling-companys-software-defined-safety-system/
(DIR) Post #Ay5Cqu1m5fToQJQikC by outfrost@mastodon.social
2025-09-10T11:35:21Z
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@jon ohno"software-defined safety system""software upgradeable vehicle"ohnoohnoohnoas a software engineer, i'm reading these and hearing alarm bells
(DIR) Post #Ay5Cquqp1sJSydJUJM by ignaloidas@not.acu.lt
2025-09-11T02:46:19.905Z
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@outfrost@mastodon.social @jon@gruene.social All ETCS will be more or less software defined. Some HW failsafes, sure, but you just can't really implement it without a whole bunch of software, including safety important bits.
(DIR) Post #Ay5Cr0h7Is7B6Gop16 by jon@gruene.social
2025-09-10T11:39:29Z
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(and apologies if I am veering away from my core political rail work here, but over and over I hear ETCS is too complex and costly to retrofit. This *might* be a solution. But it might well bring other problems too. If you have quibbles with The Signalling Company's approach please raise those with them not me)
(DIR) Post #Ay6Fn1IzaHUgrCHdsu by outfrost@mastodon.social
2025-09-11T13:27:08Z
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@ignaloidas @jon Absolutely, it's just what environment that software is built against and deployed in, on what class of hardware, and with what failsafes. From automotive we keep hearing about software malfunctions creating dangerous situations, because manufacturers aren't required to validate and failsafe it correctly, so they cut costs.
(DIR) Post #Ay6Fn2GY0r8Hpu9CiG by outfrost@mastodon.social
2025-09-11T13:33:05Z
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@ignaloidas @jon Think about what reasons exist for ETCS installations to be so expensive and complicated, and what elements are missing or made substandard when we opt for a cheaper version. This is a critical safety system, telling trains where and how fast they can and cannot go, and railways across most European countries are expected to eventually rely on it entirely. So many fatal accidents have been caused by cut corners in safety over the decades.
(DIR) Post #Ay6Fn32l7bhIFQhhrM by ignaloidas@not.acu.lt
2025-09-11T14:53:56.869Z
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@outfrost@mastodon.social @jon@gruene.socialThink about what reasons exist for ETCS installations to be so expensive and complicatedLack of proper competition, a bunch of train tech stuff being decades behind, and a generally difficult to enter market?Safety is important, yes, but it doesn't need to be expensive.
(DIR) Post #Ay6KSsw1UllisLl4Do by outfrost@mastodon.social
2025-09-11T15:05:05Z
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@ignaloidas @jon Competition introduces more aggressive cost cutting and unexpected differences in operation. It doesn't magically just make stuff efficient.I'm not saying safety _has_ to be expensive, but that under the capitalist system and profit motive, we should be very careful about this.
(DIR) Post #Ay6KStk0UvkdNN8z8C by ignaloidas@not.acu.lt
2025-09-11T15:46:23.558Z
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@outfrost@mastodon.social @jon@gruene.social competition also reduces margin