Embedded Software in the Railway Sector
Embedded systems are increasingly vital in railway technologies like traffic management, train protection, and on-board systems, where software failures can have severe consequences, including recalls, brand damage, and even loss of life.
To mitigate these risks, industry leaders are focusing on improving safety-critical software quality by adopting international standards, implementing rigorous testing, and enhancing cybersecurity. The use of predictive maintenance also helps identify and prevent software issues, ensuring passenger safety and operational efficiency. By following stringent quality standards and conducting thorough testing, the railway industry aims to minimize software failures and enhance system reliability.
Key Standards for Railway Software Quality
The railways sector has rigorous safety standards. CENELEC (the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) produces the main standard for the railway industry, EN 50128. The international published version of the CENELEC EN 50128 standard is IEC 62279. The content of both publications is identical.
The EN 50128 / 50657 standards outline procedures and technical requirements for the development of programmable electronic systems for use in railway applications. It is applicable to all cases where safety is, or may be, a consideration. The EN 50128 standard also requires use of coding standards such as MISRA and CERT.
The standard EN 50657 specifies the process and technical requirements for the development of software for programmable electronic systems for use in rolling stock applications. The standard adapts EN 50128:2011 for the application in the Rolling Stock domain, but is shares a lot in common including the definition of the Software Integrity Levels and use of coding standards.
For further information please see the links below:
EN 50128
Railway applications – Communication, signalling and processing systems
EN 50657
Railway applications – Rolling Stock Applications – Software on Board Rolling Stock
MISRA C/C++
Guidelines for the use of the C/C++ languages in critical systems
CERT C/C++
Secure Coding Standard
QA Systems Testing Tools
QA Systems enables organisations to accelerate safety standards compliance with automated static analysis and software testing tools:
STATIC ANALYSIS
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