Safety analysis of train control system based on model-driven design methodology

•Verification and simulation approach based on AADL language.•Modeling the behavior of the train control system.•Safety and availability assessment of the train control system.•Successful application of probabilistic model checking to an industrially relevant domain. Embedded system design is a complex process that demands an extensive system level modeling. Its implementation encompasses software and hardware components and its interconnections. In such systems, it is widely recognized that safety should be considered at the design stage itself, particularly at the architectural level to minimize the design effort. This paper presents a novel methodology based on model-driven specification and probabilistic model checking to automatically analyze safety based availability before synthesizing the embedded software product. Initially, the specification relies on the Architecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) standard. Applying this standard, software components, communication links, and hardware platform are modeled. From the software components, a formal specification suitable for analysis and verification is extracted. When the verification is done and constraints satisfied, the software code is generated. We demonstrate how model specification and verification techniques can be successfully applied to safety and availability analysis of the train control system.