Enabling Advanced OPC UA Diagnostics for Railway Signaling with Prosys OPC UA Forge
Mipro
Company introduction
Mipro is a technology company specializing in railway and metro systems, water and energy management, and industrial automation. Its solutions are used in safety-critical environments where reliability, availability, and long lifecycle support are essential. Complete system deliveries include design, software development, equipment, installation, and lifecycle services.
Mipro’s Railway business line provides signaling, traffic management and operations control solutions for demanding railway infrastructures and environments. A key focus area is railway signaling and safety-related systems, where strict standards and interoperability requirements must be met. In these systems, standardized communication and diagnostics play a critical role in ensuring safe and efficient operations.
Project Description
Mipro is delivering wayside safety components for Finland’s first commercial “Digirata” railway section. These systems follow the EULYNX architecture, which defines standardized interfaces for railway signaling systems.
A central requirement in this project was compliance with the EULYNX Standard Diagnostic Interface (SDI), which defines how diagnostic data is collected and communicated using OPC UA. Monitoring wayside objects and components using SDI, allows for real-time monitoring and analysis.
System architecture / © Mipro Oy
Challenges
The challenge was that the safety PLCs used in the system only support basic OPC UA functionality, while EULYNX initiative and SDI definition requires more advanced capabilities, including:
- OPC UA Reverse Connect
- Standardized information models
- Event-based communication
- Structured diagnostic data collection
Without these features, it would not be possible to meet the SDI specification or build a compliant diagnostics interface, and achieve the required railway digitalization.
Role of Prosys OPC UA Forge in Solving These Challenges
To address these challenges, Mipro selected Prosys OPC UA Forge as part of its Object Controller System (OCS). OCS operates railway safety devices such as switches and signals, detects trains using axle counting, and acts as a link between the Centralised Safety System (CSS) and trackside equipment. It uses SIL4-level safety technology and follows the European EULYNX standard.
As part of the wayside operations and OCS, Prosys OPC UA Forge acts as a dedicated OPC UA layer on top of the safety PLCs, extending their capabilities into a fully SDI compliant and flexible interface.
Key Capabilities Delivered
Advanced OPC UA Features
Forge provides the OPC UA functionality required by EULYNX SDI, including:
- Reverse Connect support (required by SDI)
- Event handling and subscriptions
- Support for standardized OPC UA information models
These capabilities are essential for implementing the SDI diagnostics collector interface.
Information Model Transformation
Forge collects diagnostic data from multiple OCS components and converts it into the standardized EULYNX SDI data structure. This ensures interoperability and compliance with the specification.
Flexible Data Mapping
Advanced mapping capabilities allow different data structures from wayside devices to be transformed into the required format. This improves scalability and simplifies integration across heterogeneous systems.
Automated Configuration
Using Forge’s API, complex data models and mappings can be generated automatically. This reduces engineering effort and minimizes configuration errors in large systems.
Deployment Flexibility with Docker
Forge can run in containerized environments, enabling:
- Reduced hardware requirements
- Easier deployment and updates
- Simplified lifecycle management
Cybersecurity and Reliability
Forge supports secure OPC UA communication, including encryption and Reverse Connect, helping meet the strict cybersecurity requirements of railway systems.
Results and Benefits
By using Prosys OPC UA Forge, Mipro was able to:
- Achieve compliance with EULYNX SDI requirements
- Reduce integration complexity through data modeling and mapping tools
- Lower hardware and maintenance costs through containerization
The solution enables digitalized track with reliable collection and transmission of diagnostic data across the railway signaling system, supporting both operational monitoring and long-term maintenance.
“Mipro operates in a demanding environment where safety, reliability, availability, maintainability, and cybersecurity are key priorities. Prosys OPC has demonstrated its ability to deliver compliant and reliable software solutions that meet our requirements. Their flexibility in adapting to project-specific requirements and extending functionality has been an important factor in the success of this project”
Sami Hyyryläinen
Product Manager, Mipro Oy