High-speed train, first seismic alert system on Rome-Naples

Seismic alert debuts on the Italian high-speed rail network. Rete ferroviaria italiana (Rfi), a company of the FS group, has activated the first national Seismic Early Warning System (Ews) along the Rome-Naples high-speed line. Thanks to a network of state-of-the-art sensors, the system is able to detect the very first seismic waves and, within seconds, automatically activate safety protocols to slow down or stop trains approaching the affected area. At the heart of the system are accelerometer stations installed along the line, connected by a fibre optic network. The measured data are transmitted in real time and, thanks to advanced software intelligence, are analysed immediately, precisely determining the area to be secured.

The Seismic Early Warning then communicates with the railway signalling equipment, automatically activating the slowing down or stopping of trains. After the event, Rfi personnel can carry out the necessary checks and restore traffic via a dedicated control dashboard. The initiative represents the first operational application of an Ews on an Italian railway line. It is part of Rfi's innovation and digitisation plan, which envisages the gradual implementation of similar technologies on other Av and conventional routes equipped with Ertms.

The system was developed in collaboration with the Physics Department of the University of Naples Federico II and with the technical-scientific support of JR Rtri (Railway Technical Research Institute), a research institute of the Japanese railways.