Ricardo to assess Copenhagen’s planned S-Bane conversion to GoA4

Ricardo Certification will be the Assessment Body (AsBo) for railway operator DSB as it works to convert Copenhagen’s S-Bane to Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4). The S-Bane is expected to be under GoA4 operation in 2037.

While still 15 years from now, Copenhagen’s S-Bane will be one of the fastest systems under GoA4 operation in the world. At 172 kilometres, it will also be one of the largest. Ricardo Certification will assist DSB throughout the conversion programme, making sure it will be in line with the European Common Safety Method on Risk Evaluation and Assessment Regulation (CSM RA). Ricardo will be involved from the earliest tendering processes all the way through to the approvals of the system by Denmark’s national safety authority.

“Having supported the S-Bane’s signalling upgrades over the past ten years we have a deep understanding of the system and the processes and technologies that underpin it”, said Mark Dodsworth, Business Manager for Ricardo Certification Denmark.

The planned GoA4 operation builds upon the upgrade of the S-Bane’s signalling technology to Communications Based Train Control Supervised Train Operation. The planned purchase of new trains will also be in line with the anticipated move to GoA4. This grade of automation means the trains can run without staff on board.

Further reading:

• Mitsubishi becomes first non-European CBTC supplier in New York
• Alstom gets on board Turin’s metro development with contract for trains and CBTC
• Copenhagen S-train starts using CBTC signalling
• Amsterdam metro faces troubles with new train control system
• Frankfurt’s metro network to switch to digital control system