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Alternative Navigation Approaches for Railways: Overcoming GNSS Limitations
* 1, 2 , 3 , 2 , 3 , 4
1  Czech Technical University in Prague
2  GNSS Centre of Excellence
3  Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Professorship of Communications Engineering, Chemnitz University of Technology
4  CEDA Maps
Academic Editor: Tomasz Hadas

Published: 28 October 2025 by MDPI in European Navigation Conference 2025 topic Safety Critical Navigation
Abstract:

Accurate and reliable train localization is critical for rail safety, particularly on regional and rural lines where traditional track-based infrastructure (e.g., balises, track circuits) is often too costly. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) offer a potential solution, but their performance degrades significantly in obstructed environments such as tunnels, forested areas, and deep cuttings commonly present on rail. This study presents a real-world case study of a GNSS-only navigation performance measurement on a regional railway track. Using a mass-market GNSS receiver and a high-precision reference system, the study analyses the position accuracy. Results highlight the limitations of GNSS-only navigation, particularly in meeting accuracy requirements for critical applications such as track distinction. To address these challenges, the study presents a comparative review of Alternative Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (A-PNT) methods. The technology level points to a multi-sensor fusion approach to ensure resilient, cost-effective rail localization for future intelligent and autonomous rail systems.

Keywords: Railway Navigation; A-PNT; Complementary PNT; GNSS; Regional Rail

 
 
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