Model-Based Development and Formal Methods in the Railway Industry

The transition from a code-based process to a model-based process isn't easy. This is particularly true for a company that operates in a safety-critical sector, where the products must be developed according to international standards, with certified tools and controlled processes. The authors summarize the experience of a railway signaling manufacturer that decided to adopt general-purpose, model-based tools—namely, Simulink/Stateflow and SysML—for product development. The company faced challenges primarily concerning the verification of the software and the integration of the tools within the existing process. Structured development solutions and formal/semiformal approaches were adopted to tackle the challenges.