All networks that operate ETCS lines are starting to put in place systematic measurement of the Eurobalises, in order to maintain them in an effective way.

Nowadays, there are several tools available on the market to perform Eurobalise maintenance, but a vast majority of them follow a corrective approach, by identifying a fault only when it occurred, so that the failed equipment can be repaired or replaced.

Aware of the limitations of the these solutions, the ERTMS market started to ask for instruments specifically designed to automate Eurobalises measurements, by enabling preventive maintenance. These tools will need to measure information such as Subset-026 telegram content,  Balise ID, contact length, telegram count and power lobe, but should also measure all the parameters that fully characterize Eurobalises, so that no issue of the Eurobalise can go unnoticed.

Using these parameters (listed in the Eurobalise protocol specification, Subset-036) and verifying if they are within the permissive ranges, will provide a higher level of resolution to calculate the health state of a balise.

The BaliseLifeCheck is the only tool able to produce extremely detailed signal quality information when it passes over a Eurobalise, by measuring all possible indicators defined in Subset-036.

Furthermore, it is able to detect and analyse the status of legacy balises too, with the same high resolution level.

Although no predictive algorithms exist yet, this approach provides insurance that such algorithms can be developed and integrated in the next future.

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