Simplifying Intelligent Railway Systems with Edge Computing
As railway networks become increasingly connected, the demands placed on onboard computing continue to grow. Modern rolling stock must process vast amounts of data from AI-enabled surveillance, passenger information systems, diagnostics, communications and condition monitoring, all whilst delivering the reliability and compliance expected in demanding railway environments.
To support these evolving requirements, FORTEC United Kingdom has introduced the Axiomtek tBOX210, a high-performance transportation embedded computer engineered specifically for intelligent railway applications.
Today's railway systems require more than traditional onboard computers. Higher-resolution IP cameras, real-time data processing and connected communications demand greater computing performance, increased network bandwidth and secure onboard data storage.
The Axiomtek tBOX210 addresses these challenges by consolidating multiple intelligent applications into a single, rugged edge computing platform. This simplifies system architecture, reduces hardware complexity and provides a scalable foundation for future digital railway developments.
Powered by Intel® 14th Generation Core™ processors with support for DDR5 memory, the tBOX210 delivers the processing capability required for demanding railway workloads, including:
- AI-assisted video analytics
- Onboard CCTV recording
- Passenger counting
- Driver monitoring
- Condition monitoring
- Passenger information systems
- Edge data processing
This powerful architecture enables engineers to design more intelligent onboard systems whilst providing additional performance headroom for future software enhancements.
As surveillance systems continue to evolve, secure data storage has become a critical design requirement.
The tBOX210 combines four rugged M12 X-coded 2.5GbE Ethernet ports with support for multiple removable 2.5-inch SATA drives, RAID functionality and NVMe storage. This enables reliable high-bandwidth connectivity for multiple IP cameras together with secure onboard storage for mission-critical video and operational data.
Designed specifically for transportation applications, the tBOX210 supports a wide 24–110VDC input range, simplifying deployment across multiple railway power systems.
Compliance with EN 50155, EN 45545-2 and NFPA 130, together with fanless operation, extended temperature support and robust shock and vibration resistance, ensures dependable performance throughout demanding railway service conditions.
With support for 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS, alongside integrated TPM 2.0 security, the tBOX210 is ready to support connected railway architectures, remote diagnostics, predictive maintenance and intelligent fleet management.
As the rail industry continues to embrace digitalisation, selecting an embedded computing platform that combines powerful processing, high-speed networking and secure onboard data storage is becoming increasingly important.
The Axiomtek tBOX210 provides railway OEMs and system integrators with a robust, railway-certified edge computing platform designed to simplify intelligent onboard systems and support the next generation of connected transport applications.
If you're designing the next generation of railway systems, contact the FORTEC UK engineering team to discuss how the Axiomtek tBOX210 can support your application.