Over half of new railway cars lack ETCS: ‘no business case’
54 per cent of new vehicles put into operation between 2015 and 2019 were done so without ERTMS onboard units being equipped. This is in contrast with the ambition of the EU to gradually implement...Read more
Making ERTMS Baseline updates ‘as easy as updating your smartphone’
Since the arrival of ECTS two decades ago, Europe’s rail sector has seen a remarkable shift, with the transformation of signalling systems and the ubiquitous roll-out of digital technology. But despite this many areas still...Read more
Alstom to implement Adif innovation on ERTMS for low density lines
Spanish railway infrastructure manager Adif has granted Alstom a contract worth 13.7 million euros, to execute a railway safety innovation project in Madrid, Spain. This project centres on creating a new application for the European...Read more
Taxing motorways to finance rail infrastructure? SNCF CEO says yes
To finance the 100-billion-euro plan announced last month by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou insists that “all accessible sources of funding must be used”. He even proposes taxing motorways and airports...Read more
The Netherlands and Belgium are neighbours yet ERTMS rollout worlds apart
Belgium prides itself that 52 per cent or 3.333 kilometres of its national railway network is equipped with ETCS. Across the border in the Netherlands, by contrast, ‘only’ four lines are currently under ERTMS. Indeed,...Read more
Personnel insufficiently trained, first findings of rail accident Greece show
The investigation following the deadly railway accident in Greece has unearthed some worrying findings. The Greek Railway Regulatory Body, which is responsible for the work, speaks of “insufficient training of personnel carrying out critical tasks”,...Read moreBelgium cements ETCS frontrunner status with completion of new project
Belgian infrastructure manager Infrabel on Sunday completed the rollout of digital signalling ETCS on the 122-kilometre line between Liège and Namen, the company announces on Tuesday. The project pushes the overall rollout of trackside ETCS...Read more
Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands sign for new cross-border service
Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands have signalled their intention to start a new cross-border rail service between the German city of Aachen and Liège in Belgium in December. In the Netherlands, the new service by...Read more
Denmark announces fresh details of ‘historically large’ rail upgrades
Banedanmark is working on a major overhaul of the Danish rail infrastructure in 2023, renewing tracks, electrifying lines and installing digital signalling. In an update released this week, the Danish rail infrastructure manager laid out...Read more
Škoda Group acquires The Signalling Company to grow ETCS business
Škoda Group has acquired Belgian onboard safety software and signalling systems developer The Signalling Company, the Czech rolling stock manufacturer announced on Tuesday. The firm will be integrated as a signalling business unit within the...Read more
What needs to happen before ERTMS may be implemented in rail?
BackgroundMany years ago, the European Union set itself the ambitious goal of making railways safe and interoperable. One of the key ways of achieving this goal is the implementation of the European Rail Traffic Management...Read more
Alstom to install ETCS on 73 Czech trains
ČD Telematika has commissioned Alstom to supply and install the European Train Control System (ETCS) on 7 high-speed Pendolino vehicles and for 66 electric vehicles. The ETCS system will be supplemented by national functionalities to...Read more
RFI names suppliers for ETCS onboard equipment in Italian trains
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) named Hitachi, MERMEC STE of France, Caterpillar subsidiary ProgressRail and Alstom earlier this month as the four companies to supply and install ETCS onboard equipment for rolling stock using Italy’s SCMT...Read more