High-speed line: first seismic warning system on Rome-Naples line

Seismic alerts debut on the Italian high-speed rail network. Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), a subsidiary of the FS group, has activated the first national Seismic Early Warning (EWS) system along the Rome-Naples high-speed line. Thanks to a network of next-generation sensors, the system is capable of detecting the very first seismic waves and, within seconds, automatically activating safety protocols to slow or stop trains approaching the affected area. The heart of the system is the accelerometer stations installed along the line, connected by a fiber optic network. The collected data is transmitted in real time and, thanks to advanced software intelligence, is immediately analyzed, precisely determining the area requiring safety.

The Seismic Early Warning system then communicates with railway signaling equipment, automatically slowing or stopping trains. After the event, RFI personnel will be able to carry out the necessary checks and restore traffic through a dedicated control dashboard. This initiative represents the first operational application of an EWS on an Italian railway line. It is part of RFI's innovation and digitalization plan, which envisions the progressive implementation of similar technologies on other high-speed and conventional lines equipped with ERTMS.

The system was developed in collaboration with the Department of Physics of the University of Naples Federico II and with the technical-scientific support of the JR Rtri (Railway Technical Research Institute), a research institute of the Japanese railways.