Safety-Critical Control for Virtual Coupling Train Operations

We are pleased to announce a seminar entitled “Safety-Critical Control for Virtual Coupling Train Operations”. The seminar will be held on 18 March 2026 at 15:00 in room B1.02 at USI East Campus. The speaker will be Yike Li (University of Cagliari / Politecnico di Bari).

Abstract

Virtual Coupling (VC) is an emerging railway signaling paradigm that enables trains to operate in closely spaced convoys through Train-to-Train communication, aiming to increase line capacity and operational flexibility. Ensuring safety in such tightly coupled operations remains a major challenge, particularly in the presence of communication delays, uncertainties, and dynamic disturbances.

This talk presents a safety-critical control framework for the longitudinal motion control of VC train convoys based on Control Barrier Functions (CBFs). The proposed approach integrates safety constraints with nominal control objectives through real-time quadratic programming (QP), enabling decentralized controllers that guarantee collision avoidance while maintaining smooth and efficient convoy operation. Simulation studies demonstrate the robustness, scalability, and computational efficiency of the approach under realistic railway operating conditions.

The talk will also discuss potential research directions on integrating learning-based methods and formal modeling techniques to further enhance safety and resilience in cyber-physical railway systems.

Short bio

Yike Li received her PhD in Autonomous Systems from the University of Cagliari and Politecnico di Bari as part of the Italian National PhD Program in Autonomous Systems. Her research focuses on safety-critical control and optimization methods for cyber-physical systems, with a particular emphasis on railway transportation systems and virtual coupling train operations. Her work investigates control-theoretic approaches that provide formal safety guarantees while enabling efficient and scalable autonomous system behavior.