The next-generation railway network based on IEC 61375-3-4 Ethernet Consist Network (ECN) can use RFC 1305 network time protocol (NTP) for time synchronization. In an ideal case of no congestion in the local network, the time synchronization error of NTP is up to 1 ms; however, when the network experiences congestion, an error of more than 100 ms occurs. For a high-speed control of vehicles, a more precise time synchronization technology that can reduce the time synchronization error to a few microseconds is desired. In this study, we implement a precise time protocol for multiple trains connected by multi-stage ECN switches. We also evaluate its performance.

Time synchronization, Network time protocol, Precise time protocol, Ethernet Consist Network, IEEE-1588