Vidéos ferroviaires

SNCF Promotion video from June 1991 describing the ASTREE project. This is the digitized version of the original SECAM VHS tape. Hence no colour! ASTREE was a research project on a global command, control, and communication system for train control and traffic management developed by the French National Railways (SNCF). It was based on maintaining a distributed data base of up-to-date, accurate, and comprehensive representation of route layout and train progress. Computer applications use the image of the actual situation gathered in the data base to make (or, in some cases, to help human operators make) all decisions regarding route setting and train control. The results are transmitted back to wayside equipment and to locomotives, where they are displayed and enforced, if need be, by a penalty brake application. Development began in early 1986 and enjoyed important resources. After a few years of definition of requirements, technological component testing, and architecture design, a first integrated test was conducted. In many ways the ASTREE concept was precursor to the ERTMS/ETCS Level 3 concept. The project was eventually abandoned in favor of the ETCS project.