Keywords: automatic train operation, on-sight ATO, scaled development and testing, digital twin, physical–virtual coupling, infrastructure-supported perception.

On-sight Automatic Train Operation requires development environments that support perception-based low-speed operation, realistic sensor interaction, and repeatable scenario execution before full-scale field testing becomes feasible. Previous work proposed a scaled laboratory concept for the development and testing of on-sight ATO functions. This paper extends that work by presenting the methodical derivation and initial realization of ScaTERS, a Scaled Test Environment for Railway Systems. The contribution is a structured design process that links representative on-sight ATO use cases to functional laboratory requirements, selected solution principles, and a finalized physical track layout. The method considers automated shunting, depot movements, infrastructure-supported perception, hybrid physical–virtual testing, and mixed railway/tram-style operating conditions. Based on this process, the resulting ScaTERS layout is organized into dedicated zones for shunting, depot and siding operation, station-related maneuvers, and digital-twin-supported scenario augmentation. In contrast to the previous conceptual proposal, this paper reports the updated layout resulting from the detailed design process and documents the first construction stage of the laboratory. ScaTERS is positioned as an intermediate research platform between purely virtual simulation and full-scale field testing, enabling early experimentation with real sensors, scaled infrastructure, and synchronized virtual representations.

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