Managing ‘train-to-earth’ heavy communications: A middleware software to manage broadband wireless communications in the railway scope

This paper illustrates the strategy followed for the management of broadband wireless communications in a hybrid network (mobile/radio). This management allows the optimization of both bandwidth and transmission rate of the applications deployed in the ground control stations (terrestrial applications) and onboard systems (train applications). It also describes the general aspects of a `train-to-earth' communications architecture, which allows an easy and standard integration of applications both new and legacy.