The use of formal methods in standardisation of interfaces of signalling systems

Like other infrastructure managers (IMs), ProRail BV and DB Netz AG are responsible for the safe and efcient running of trains; their signalling systems play an essential role in this task. That is why they have to convince themselves of the correct level of safety of the technology used. This article describes the cooperation of these two IMs in paving the way towards the application of formal methods that can be used to prove the quality of software applied in signalling. As described later in this article, the scope of the work focuses on the interfaces within the signalling system.
This paper about interlocking interfaces is one of three ITC articles concerning formal methods. The second will address the use of formal methods in the certification process of Hybrid Level 3 ETCS, the third will deal with interlocking applications.