Infrabel has commissioned the longest section of conventional railway in Europe to be signalled by ETCS.
The Belgian infrastructure manager has completed an overlay of the system on a 160-kilometre line linking Namur with Dinant, Bertrix and Athus, on the Luxembourg border.
Infrabel described it as the longest section of railway in Europe, excluding high-speed lines, to use ETCS signalling.
Over the last five years, Infrabel has invested €24.7 million – of which 50 per cent was provided by the European Union – in deploying the modern signalling system between Namur and Athus.
Belgian Railways has committed to making sure its entire fleet is compatible with ETCS Level 2 within the next 10 years.
Belgian rail operator SNCB has already awarded Alstom a contract to equip 449 trains with ERTMS Level 2 signalling.
On October 14, Siemens – Cofely Fabricom won a €510 million contract for the implementation of ETCS Level 2 across the Belgian network between 2014 and 2022.
Ummm, I think you might mean on the border with Luxembourg