Alstom has been awarded a €13.7 million contract by Adif to develop an innovative railway safety project in Spain. The project involves the implementation of a new application of the European Traffic Management System (ERTMS) standard, specifically designed for low-density railway lines. ERTMS is the most advanced train command and control system adopted by the European Union for signalling and communications between track and onboard equipment. However, its adoption outside of the mainline has been more limited due to its high cost and difficulty in ensuring compatibility with installed equipment.
The new system being developed as part of the innovation project will be characterized by a reduction in the amount of equipment on the track while maintaining the safety performance of the ERTMS typically used on high-speed lines. It will also be interoperable and homogeneous with existing solutions. Secondary lines will benefit from the advantages and functionalities of the European standard, significantly improving the quality of service, its performance, and reliability, while increasing transport capacity and reducing operating costs.
"It is a great satisfaction to once again develop a pioneering project with Adif. We were already the first to implement a level 2 ERTMS system without the support of level 1 on the high-speed network, to develop the first fully automatic train in operation in Spain, to implement ERTMS technology for suburban networks, and to promote the monitoring of passenger flows in urban networks through Big Data. This new project reaffirms Alstom’s position in Spain as a technological and innovative leader in rail safety and signalling," said Leopoldo Maestu, President of Alstom Spain and Portugal.
The development and implementation of the new ERTMS system for low-density lines will be pioneering in Europe and will offer the same safety features as the system installed on high-speed lines. Implementation and testing will be carried out on the La Asunción Universidad-Guardo section, part of the León-Araguren metric gauge line.
