The Minister of Civil Works experiences Alstom´s latest ERTMS technology on-board the suburban trains in Madrid

Safer. More efficient. Faster. Ana Pastor, Minister of Civil Works, together with Esperanza Aguirre, President of the Madrid Regional Government and Ana Botella, Mayor of Madrid, took a trip on the suburban trains running between Tres Cantos and Madrid/Sol on 26th March. They were interested in seeing the ERTMS system (European Rail Traffic Management System) in action and understanding how it works.

This new on-board train technology, developed by Alstom Transport Spain and already installed on 112 Civia train, was put into service on 1st March on line C-4 of the Madrid suburban train network (Parla – Colmenar Viejo) and the stretch between Alcobendas and San Sebastian de los Reyes.

Until now, this technology had exclusively been used in high speed trains and is therefore the first time which such technology is incorporated into suburban trains. According to the Minister, it´s aim is to improve the safety and increase the frequency with which the trains can operate on this line. ERTMS enhances train operation and enables them to adjust the speed according to track conditions. “Technologically speaking it is the safest system operation currently in operation and Madrid is the first city within the European Union to implement it in the suburban train network” explained Ana Pastor.

Within the European Union, Spain is the country holding the top position in terms of distance covered by this technology, some 6.600 km in total, followed by Italy with 600 km. The objective is to install ERTMS on as many main lines with heavy train traffic as possible, hence increasing the passenger capacity on these lines.

This occasion is greatly satisfying for Alstom Transport´s Spanish signalling unit, who carried out the design, project execution and implementation. This project is a further technological reference to be proud of.