Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) has displayed its autonomous railway vehicle prototype at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin.
The Train for INspection Of railway (TINO) is the first of its kind, and is designed to operate each day before initial train services in order to provide an early assessment of infrastructure conditions, enhancing safety and operational reliability in the process.
A collaborative project between RFI Research and various universities and research institutions; the unit integrates automation technologies, computer vision systems and a hybrid traction system.
It is capable of travelling up to 400km at a maximum speed of 200 km/h, utilises dedicated operator interfaces and offers two operating modes: remote and autonomous driving – both of which are continuously supervised by an ERTMS/ETCS safety system. This ensures high levels of safety by automatically managing speed restrictions and emergency breaking whenever required.
TINO’s mechanical design was handled by Poltecnico (Dipartimenti Di Meccanica); whilst signalling capabilities were developed by Università Degu Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Foundazione Bruno Kessler and Alma Mater Studiorum Università Di Bologna.
The unit’s perception system was designed by Università Degli Studi Firenze and Università Degli Studi Di Salerno, and aims to enhance infrastructure safety by detecting, classifying and tracking obstacles along the railway corridor whilst continuously monitoring infrastructure conditions.
Integrated with the ATO driving system; onboard Perception analyses detected objects and automatically assesses potential clearance infringements in order to ensure safe vehicle movement.
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