This activity field will specify and develop an architecture and some basic elements of a maintenance support system, for remote, real-time monitoring of equipment directly on-board trains, through the train-ground communication infrastructure. It will pave the way for a trans-European fleet maintenance management, enabling to support rail vehicles wherever they are.

Specific objectives of this application field are:

	accessing train on-board data from remote maintenance centres
	integrating information coming from different sources
	achieving compatibility between trains and maintenance centres
	standardising transmission protocols and formats

The results will steer exploitation intentions of railway operators and manufacturers, possibly starting the development of a complete product, which in the future can be embedded into all new devices and systems aboard trains, allowing for a new, European wide maintenance organisation.