Digital & automated train trials at Bologna San Donato

The FS Group, through Rete Ferroviaria Italiana and Trenitalia, is committed to developing and validating digital and automation technologies aimed at improving railway system reliability and network capacity, with safety as a core requirement.

Within the European project FP2‑R2DATO - Rail to Digital and automated train operation (Rail Flagship Project 2-Europe’s Rail), a test campaign was carried out between February and March 2026 at the Bologna San Donato test facility, focusing on the functional validation of automatic train operation (ATO) solutions on ERTMS-equipped infrastructure.

On 17 March 2026, a demonstration event was held with representatives from the European rail sector and project partners, during which the following technologies were tested in a controlled environment:

• automatic train operation on ERTMS, integrating ATO functions with onboard and trackside subsystems to support more regular and predictable train running;
• remote driving, as an operational support capability for testing activities, shunting and degraded operating conditions;
• obstacle detection systems, enabling supervised braking in line with safety principles.

Tests were performed using the hybrid Blues train, provided by Trenitalia, equipped with GoA4 components in line with the FP2‑R2DATO reference architecture. The activities also build on a broader innovation pathway that includes solutions such as TINO, RFI’s unmanned railway vehicle developed for diagnostic purposes and ERTMS commissioning activities.
 

The outcomes of the campaign contribute to collecting technical and operational evidence to: increase operational robustness, improve service regularity and make more efficient use of the existing network capacity within a European collaboration framework promoted by Europe’s Rail.