Czech Railways (ČD) has announced a programme to equip up to 663 vehicles with the onboard equipment for the implementation of ETCS Level 2.
ČD said it will be installing new signalling equipment on 33 different class of train, including the 151, 371, 380, 660/661 InterPanter (pictured), 680 Pendolino, CityElefant and RegioPanter EMUs.
Estimated to cost CZK 6.6 billion (€244 million), up to 85 per cent of the project’s cost will be co-financed through the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility.
ETCS has already been trialled between Poříčany and Kolín, and is currently being implemented between Kolín and Břeclav.
ČD chairman Pavel Krtek said: “The safety of ČD trains is a priority for us. We have already equipped 1,191 vehicles with the GSM-R European communication system and 1,535 vehicles with the TRS national radio communication system.
“This enables traffic controllers and dispatchers to stop a train during an extraordinary event, even remotely by means of a general stop, and thus contributes significantly to the high degree of safety on the Czech railway network.”
It’s interesting to know that control system will also help reduce a train’s speed before taking a diverging track, or before a speed reduction on the line.