UIC ERTMS World Conference 2007 – Berne 11-13 September
This event will be hosted by the Swiss Federal Office of Transport, SBB and BL.
 
The theme chosen for this year’s conference is “From independent rail networks to interoperability”.
 
The two-day conference will feature speakers from both railway companies and manufacturers. Participants may also visit an exhibition of the latest technical solutions in track, signalling and onboard equipment, to be held throughout the conference.

The first day is dedicated to a technical test trip Berne / Olten and to the Lötschberg base tunnel at the invitation of SBB, the Swiss federal railways.

For more information please visit the official website of the event: www.ertms-conference.com

First ever ERTMS contract in India

Ansaldo Signal has secured the first ever order for a Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) to be awarded by Indian Railways.

The TPWS project which will be implemented on the Southern Railway sector of Indian Railways is based on the European Railways Train Management System (ERTMS) and is in conformity with ETCS level 1.

As a result, Ansaldo Signal will be implementing the first ERTMS type technology in India, a significant and major achievement.

With the Indian Railways focus on safety and upgrading their railway systems to achieve higher safety levels, the introduction of the ETCS level 1 technology is a major step for Indian Railways in their drive to implement state of the art systems.

This project provides the opportunity to secure many more similar projects in Indian Railways.

New ERTMS contract in the Czech Republic

SŽDC, the Czech Railway Infrastructure Entity has recently awarded a contract to Ansaldo Signal to develop, build and deploy the signaling infrastructure of a 30km long pilot line along the EU Rail Corridor IV (Berlin – Prague – Bratislava – Budapest – Costanta) with ERTMS level 2 technology.

Ansaldo Signal thus secures the very first ERTMS level 2 contract ever awarded in Central Europe. The company will take in charge the full development and deployment of both the wayside and on-board equipments.

The contract unveils a promising future for one of the main EU railway corridors, one connecting the heart of Europe all the way down to the Black Sea.

Maintenance contract of Madrid-Lérida HSL

On 1st March 2005, Ansaldo Signal started the maintenance contract of the Madrid-Lérida high speed line, which was awarded for a period of 4 years by the Spanish Railways Infrastructure Administrator (ADIF).

Within the framework of the contract, Ansaldo Signal will carry out the operational and technical management of the maintenance of the line.

This new maintenance contract was awarded by ADIF after positive evaluation of the systems already installed and maintained by Ansaldo Signal during the construction period.

From now on, the maintenance covers not only the ATP ERTMS signaling systems and energy, but also the ground supervision and detection equipment installed by a third party, as well as the maintenance of the technical buildings and the associated secondary sets of equipment.

Bothnia Line, Botniabanan AB, Sweden

Bombardier Transportation has been awarded a contract to supply the first ever ERTMS line in Sweden, supplying our INTERFLO 450 ERTMS Level 2 technology on the Bothnia Line.

The contract is initially for the supply of ERTMS system specifications as the first phase in introducing ERTMS technology on the Bothnia Line.  It is intended that Bombardier will subsequently supply ERTMS for the whole of the 190 km line, with 21 stations, from Nyland on the Angerman river in the south to Gimonas on the Ume river in the north.

The project has two objectives.  The first is to implement an ERTMS Level 2 signalling system on the Bothnia line.  The second objective is for the generic application of ERTMS Level 2 for the Swedish market.
Spain - Trainborne Equipment
             
RENFE ordered high-speed trains that will be equipped with ETCS trainborne equipment. Alcatel and Siemens deliver redundant ETCS trainborne equipment for the new trains S102 (Talgo 350) and S103 (ICE).

The onboard equipment, that contains EVCs, DMIs in each cab and peripheral installations, will be installed within 2004.

The ETCS onboard equipment for Spain is based on the ETCS environment, which was presented successfully on the German Leipzig-Berlin line at 200 km/h in 2003.
 
http://www.ertms.com/spain_trainborne_alcatel_siemens.html

BOMBARDIER WINS SIGNALLING ORDER IN KOREA

Derby, March 09, 2004  – Bombardier Transportation has been awarded a £21-million (32 million Euros) order by a consortium led by Taejung Electric Construction Co., Ltd. The contract calls for Bombardier to provide its European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 1 to the Korean National Railroad. The system consists of Bombardier onboard Automatic Train Protection (ATP) systems for 414 cabs, and wayside ATP systems equipment consisting of lineside electronic units (LEUs) and balises for the lines from Seoul to Busan and from Daejon to Mokpo, totalling 760 km. The final delivery is scheduled to take place in December 2006.

Javier Rión, President of Rail Control Solutions, Bombardier Transportation said: “This order is of strategic importance for us as it marks the entrance of our Interflo ERTMS solutions to the Asian market”.

Proceedings from Leipzig Available

The CD-Rom containing the proccedings form the ERTMS World Conference in Leipzig is now available from the UIC.
ERTMS on track for success in Leipzig

The UIC ERTMS Conference 2003 gathered more than 400 experts on the 10th and 11th of December in Leipzig. The audience was very diverse, with representatives from the industry, both from ETCS and GSM-R suppliers, the railway undertakings and infrastructure managers.

The opening session set the scene for the conference. Mr Garber from DB stated that the operators agreed that ETCS is needed as the future signalling system for Europe, and that the benefits ERTMS offers especially for freight traffic are not questioned. However, as railway undertakings are becoming commercially oriented organisations, they cannot at the same time make huge investments with an uncertain cost-benefits ratio. Mr Garber, and all the representatives of railway undertakings and their organisations such as Mr Ludewig from CER, requested a financial support from the European Commission. Contrary to ETCS, GSM-R was pictures as already under deployment all across Europe. Sweden and Germany have the largest network so far, but most of the other EU members have already awarded contracts for the deployment of GSM-R on their networks.

Mr Colaço representing the European Commission reviewed the evolution of rail transport and the consequences for ERTMS deployment: rail must provide seamless and quality transportation across Europe, both for freight and passenger. This requires an integrated backbone of communication, and ERTMS is a part of it. Therefore, deploying ERTMS is a must for rail transport. He warned that delaying its implementation could be short-sighted: the supply industry is in a difficult situation, and the number of suppliers may decrease, which would lead to the discontinuation of certain legacy systems: this would force a rushed migration of ETCS, as it happened for GSM-R.

Mr Nieuwenhuis’ presentation supported these arguments: the railways must be aware that there is a competition, trucks and low-cost airlines, that are offering every day better services to their customers. The railways must therefore evolve to provide what the market demands. ERTMS is a mean to offer better services, and the number of projects in GSM-R as well as in ETCS show that their deployment is a reality. Railway undertakings, as commercial organisations, have to take risk to develop their business: that is what the industry has done in developing the system. Of course, considering the size of the investment at the European level it seems necessary to support that at the European level, and the UNIFE Presiding Board made the request that the deployment of on-board equipment be supported through the TEN funds to Mrs de Palacio.

Later sessions confirmed these first speeches: GSM-R has a bright future, relies on stable specifications and economies of scale thanks to the use of GSM standards and components. Infrastructure managers and operators that are already using the system are pleased with its performance, and the operation of the latest German high-speed line with GSM-R at 300 km/h is a flagship project demonstrating the validity of the system.

ETCS is also under deployment: the UIC study conducted by Peter Winter showed that more than 15.000 km of lines will be equipped with ETCS in 2008. Countries that have an old ATP system, or no ATP system, or that have a high proportion of cross-border traffic have a particularly high interest in the system. ETCS, with the ongoing revision of the high-speed TSIs and the development of the conventional rail TSIs is also reaching its technical maturity, delivering the documented requirements of the railways. Speakers form the industry and form the operators having deployed the system, such as Dr Mindel from Alcatel, Mrs Reppert from Siemens, Mr Trümpi form SBB underlined the importance of a well-planned migration strategy. Dr Mindel in particular outlined that operators can already now take simple decisions that will reduce the costs: all the new rolling stock could be pre-installed with ETCS, -leaving the room for the equipment, pre-installing cabling – this small investment would reduce the costs when en operator eventually decide to install ETCS on this particular piece of rolling stock.

Besides the conference an exhibition area was busy with booths from GSM-R and ETCS suppliers, where delegates could see the equipment available and meet the speakers for further information. A live demonstration of GSM-R was organised jointly by Nortel and DB to show GSM-R functionalities.

The conference ended with a test trip on the Berlin-Halle-Leizig line, equipped by Siemens and Alcatel with ETCS level 2, and now undergoing the certification process, demonstrating as well to delegates the readiness and availability of ETCS level 2.

For more information, please contact Nicolas.erb@unife.org

02/12/2003 - New ERTMS Project - Spain

Alcatel announced on the 01/12/2003 that it has been awarded three contracts totaling over Euro 180 million to deploy the European standard ETCS (European Train Control System) for the three new sections of the Spanish high speed lines, Lerida-Barcelona, Segovia-Valladolid and Madrid-Toledo. Alcatel will also equip the Lerida-Barcelona and Segovia-Valladolid sections with a fixed communications network.

The three contracts were awarded by GIF (Gestor de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias) to a multi-company consortium, including Alcatel, Siemens and Invensys Rail Systems, which is responsible for the projects, including design, build and maintenance through 2006.   The overall value of these contracts awarded to the consortium is Euro 625 million.

New ERTMS Project - Hungary

Alcatel has been awarded two contracts by Hungarian Railways valued over Euro 22 million in total. One contract concerns the line between Budapest and the Austrian border, which will be upgraded with the standardised European Train Control System (ETCS).

To control the trains when they roll on the 170 km Budapest-Austrian border section, and to even increase their speed, ETCS Level1 will be used. Seventeen Hungarian locomotives of type series V63-100 will be equipped with on-board systems  (driver console, computer, transmitter and receiver, etc.) able to interface with the equipment along the track.

These new contracts from Hungarian Railways follow a contract to equip the Zallövö – Hodos railway line also with ETCS train control.

New ERTMS Project - the Netherlands

ALSTOM, in cooperation with consortium partner Holland Railconsult, will supply its ERTMS level 2 train-control and signaling solution for the Betuweroute, a dedicated freight rail line from the international seaport of Rotterdam to the German border.

The total value of the contract awarded by ProRail, the Netherlands' rail-infrastructure authority, is €75 million.

The 160-kilometer Betuweroute is currently under construction by ProRail’s Betuweroute project organization. The line was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management and is due to enter service in 2007

 

ERTMS Project Descriptions Updated

The section related to projects descriptions is under continuous updating, with all the latest contracts awarded in the process of being covered

Next ERTMS World Conference

The Next ERTMS World Conference organised by UIC with UNIFE support will take place on the 10th and 11th of December in Leipzig, Germany.

To see the program, please follow this link: UicErtms

 

ERTMS / ETCS at the World Congress on Railway Research 2003

Different presentations focused on ERTMS/ETCS at the 6th WCRR in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. They did not focus on the system itself, but on new applications, such as the LOCOPROL project or on safety certification and assessment.

In addition, Dr Hagemeyer from Siemens TS made a presentation during the third Plenary session on migration to ERTMS/ETCS. He demonstarted that deploying ETCS was the best alternative to create a European railway network. The only alternative would be to develop interfaces between all different systems in Europe, which would be extremely difficult as the engineering work required is incredibly complex and non economical as each solution would be deployed only on a limited number of equipments. He advocated the deployment of ETCS on International corridors, to progressively replace national systems.

Dr Hagemeyer speaking during WCRR
 

ERTMS / ETCS for European Value Added

Lunch Symposium in the European Parliament in Brussels

On 30 September 2003, VDB / FIF and Deutsches Verkehsforum – in cooperation with UNIFE – held a lunch symposium in the European Parliament on the introduction, migration and financing of the European Rail Traffic Management System ERTMS / ETCS.

Mr Hans M. Schabert, CEO of Siemens Transportation, highlighted in his welcome speech the six advantages of ERTMS / ETCS implementation: interoperability, increases in railway safety, capacity and availability, cost-effectiveness and creation of an open market for signaling systems. Mr Schabert described the necessary investment dimension for ERTMS / ETCS with € 600 million per year for a period of 10 years – a figure within normal investment frames. However, for ERTMS / ETCS to become a reality, the European Commission must also consider the rail signaling on-board equipment as infrastructure fund-worthy of the TEN-budget or a future European transport fund.

This last statement was clearly affirmed by MEP Georg Jarzembowski, who said that the European Parliament does not differentiate in its support for modern intelligent infrastructure like ERTMS / ETCS on-board or traditional tracks. Mr Jarzembowski defined the French-German ERTMS high-speed pilot project between Paris and Frankfurt as a “European value added”.

Mr Jean-Arnold Vinois, head of unit rail transport & interoperability (European Commission DG TREN), compared ERTMS / ETCS installation costs per kilometer and per locomotive with superior installation costs of current national systems. Based on the too slow national ERTMS / ETCS deployment plans, the European Commission is developing a European deployment plan, which will be presented to the European Parliament in November 2003. At the same time, the Commission is preparing the revision of the Trans-European Transport Networks guidelines, which could include a financing possibility of up-to 30% for cross-border projects and bottlenecks.

Furthermore, the Commission is analyzing the possibilities of EU funding for migration to ERTMS.

ERTMS deployment Statistics updated

A new page has been added to present the "ERTMS Deployment statistics". These statistics present the length of railway tracks and of rail vehicles that will be fitted with ERTMS in the near future.

These statistics will be updated frequently to reflect the increasing number of ERTMS projects in Europe.

ERTMS Projects descriptions updated

The latest ERTMS projects have been added on the map in the "Projects" section. This concern the Amsterdam-Utrecht line in the Netherlands and the Lötschberg tunnel in Switzerland.
Successful testing of ERTMS/ETCS Level 2 in Germany


Brussels, July 7th 2003 - The test run on the 7th July 2003 in Germany is the latest good example that ETCS level 2 technology is ready for deployment and that an open market for signalling is becoming a reality in Europe: ERTMS/ETCS is clearly ready for a progressive implementation across the Pan-European Railway System.
German Rail (DB AG) and their two industrial partners, Siemens Transportation Systems and
Alcatel, began series production trials on the new European Train Control System, ETCS, on
Monday, July 7, 2003, with a first trial run. A locomotive-hauled ETCS-controlled train was
operated for the first time in Europe, running between Jüterbog and Bitterfeld at a speed of 200 km/h.
In the presence of Angelika Mertens, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of
Transport, Hartmut Mehdorn, Chairman of the Managing Board of German Rail (DB AG), Friedrich Smaxwil, Group Vice President of Siemens Transportation Systems, and Jean-Pierre Forestier, President of Alcatel Transport Automation Solutions, the railways and industry set the stage for introduction of a pioneering technology.
ERTMS/ETCS
ETCS is the new European Train Control-Command System that together with GSM-R forms
ERTMS, the new signalling and management system for Europe, facilitating interoperability
throughout the European Rail Network.
Twelve countries have committed to the introduction of ERTMS/ETCS and over twenty
implementation contracts have already been let. ERTMS/ETCS 1 is already in revenue service with proven technology on two lines, a Level 1 system in Bulgaria and an advanced Level 2 system in Switzerland. This was made possible thanks to the experience being accumulated on a number of test tracks where the suppliers’ products were tested, enabling them to verify the specifications for ERTMS/ETCS levels 1 and 2.
ERTMS/ETCS Benefits
ERTMS/ETCS, the European Railway Traffic Management System supported by the European
Commission, has been designed by the European railway industry and railway undertakings, to meet the documented needs of the European Railways.

As an unique signalling system for Europe, ERTMS/ETCS will improve:
1. Railway Interoperability
2. Railway Safety
3. Railway Capacity
4. Railway Availability
In addition, ERTMS/ETCS will offer benefit for procurement economies of scale, reduce the on-board equipment and create an open market for signalling systems in Europe.
Industry Confidence in ERTMS/ETCS
The UNIFE Presiding Board and the UNIFE members in UNISIG responsible for ERTMS/ETCS,
therefore, confirmed during the UNIFE 2003 General Assembly, their complete confidence in the ERTMS/ETCS system, noting with great satisfaction the excellent performance of the Level 2 system now in operation between Olten and Luzern in Switzerland.
The CEOs of the ETCS system developers - Alcatel Transport Automation Systems, Alstom Transport, Ansaldo Signal, Bombardier Transportation, Invensys Rail Systems and Siemens Transportation Systems - have expressed their total commitment to the successful deployment of the new system.
For more information, please contact UNIFE at: nicolas.erb@unife.org or +32.2.626.12.60

------------------------------------------------------------

1 The current list of ongoing and completed projects includes: Greece (Athens suburban network); Czech republic (Pendolinos); Bulgaria (Sofia-Burgas); Austria (Vienna-Nickelsdorf); Germany (Berlin-Halle-Leipzig); the Netherlands (HSL-Zuid); Luxemburg (two projects for the complete network: way-side and on-board equipment); Switzerland Olten-Lucern and ongoing work on the Mattstetten-Rothrist route); Italy (Turin-Milan-Bologne/Bologne-Florence/ Rome-Naples); Spain (Madrid-Lerida/Zaragosa-Huesca/Albacete-Villar de Chinchilla); Romania (Bucharest-Campina).
Some projects are divided into different contracts, e.g.: on-board/way-side equipment
Switzerland: Alcatel wins contract to deploy railway security and signaling system for the Lötschberg tunnel

Paris, July 3, 2003 – Alcatel, world-leading provider in transport automation solutions, today announces that it has been awarded a 65 million Euros contract with BLS AlpTransit AG for the engineering, installation and delivery of railway security and signaling systems for the 34.6km Lötschberg base tunnel, as well as for the Frutigen and Visp railway stations in Switzerland. The Lötschberg tunnel is the core of the Lötschberg base line between Frutigen and St. German which forms an important part of the Swiss rail corridor through the Alps from north to south.

It is the largest signaling contract won by Alcatel in Switzerland, and is almost entirely based on Alcatel products, solutions, and services. Products include a radio block center (RBC), 5 Alcatel LockTrac electronic interlocking systems (Elektra2 type), local control centers, and Alcatel FieldTrac   microprocessor-based multiple section axle counters. This project has been won against international competition and will be completed in 2007.

Robert Mattenberger, Head of Alcatel’s transport solutions activities in Switzerland stated: “We are proud, as a major player in the main line signaling market, to be able to contribute our innovative solution to this major alpine project and to thereby confirm Alcatel’s role as a leader   in promoting new European standards in European Train Control System.”

Netherlands: Bombardier wins ERTMS level 2 contract

Bombardier Transportation has won a European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 2 order from ProRail, the dutch railway infrastructure manager, to equip the 30.5 km line between Amsterdam (Duivendrecht station) and Utrecht Central Station with bi-directional signalling. This will consist in an ERTMS level 2 system and computer-based Ebilock interlockings, adapted for the Dutch infrastructure. The order is valued at 22.6 millions €, with final delivery planned to take place in December 2006.

Javier Rión, President, Rail Control Solutions, Bombardier Transportation said: “By working together with ProRail on this important project, we will continue to maintain our worldwide leadership in the implementation of ERTMS Technology. Bombardier is the only supplier in the industry to have successfully put an ERTMS level 2 system in commercial operation with the SBB pilot line in Switzerland, where the average availability on the line is 98.2%.”

This order follows the success 1999 contract for a 26 km pilot line equipped with ERTMS level 1 and 2 in the Netherlands. Both contracts form part of the Bev 21 programme, the Dutch programme for railway development for the 21 st century. The Amsterdam-Utrecht project will be the first commercial application of the Bev 21 programme. The existing line will be rebuilt and upgraded from two to four tracks and Bombardier will be responsible for integrating the system with the GSM-R radio and the VPT+ train control system. Further enhancements will also be made to the system, including the introduction of hand held terminals and a workforce protection scheme to allow the trackside workers to assume control of an area of track and of the points within it.

Munich, May 2003 - UNIFE Presiding Board Confident in ERTMS/ETCS success:

During the 2003 UNIFE General Assembly in Munich, the UNIFE Presiding Board and the UNIFE members in UNISIG responsible for ERTMS/ETCS confirmed their complete confidence in the ERTMS/ETCS system and noted with great satisfaction the excellent performance of the Level 2 system now in operation in Switzerland. The CEOs of the ETCS system developers - Alcatel Transport Automation Systems, Alstom Transport, Ansaldo Signal, Bombardier, Invensys Rail Systems and Siemens Transportation Systems - have expressed their total commitment to the successful deployment of the new system

 

Vienna, March 19, 2003 - Austrian Federal Railways with ETCS European Train Control System from Alcatel and Siemens

 

A few days ago, the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) began test operation of the ETCS (European Train Control System) on the 65 km long line between Vienna and Nickelsdorf. These function tests are the first step towards introduction of ETCS within ÖBB's rail network. ETCS provides state-of-the-art technical support for the engine driver and allows a higher frequency of trains per day. It also cuts energy consumption and enhances passenger safety. ETCS is a fundamental, innovative investment in the future of European railways. For the first time ever, a standardized and interoperable train control system for the entire European region has been created.

The ETCS project involves a total volume of € 6.5 million and has been running since 2002 under the auspices of the Euroloop Consortium (formed by Alcatel Austria AG and Siemens AG of Austria). Alcatel is responsible for line configuring, for delivery and commissioning of most of the trackside electronics, and for the GSM diagnostic system. Siemens is completely equipping the line with balises, which transmit data from the line to the vehicle. Siemens is also providing the trackside equipment of the Parndorf station as well as the ETCS on-board equipment for 13 Taurus locomotives.

"Based on an interoperable European standard, ETCS both speeds up rail travel and makes it safer too. It is also the foundation stone for creating “European corridors”, allowing trains to cross borders between various countries with ease," said Thomas Necker, Alcatel's General Manager for Transport Automation Solutions in Austria.

                                 

 

               ETCS Level 1 equipped loco of ÖBB                            Information point at Signal