Alstom to equip Deutsche Bahn ICE trains with its ERTMS signalling solution

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Alstom was awarded a contract by Deutsche Bahn (DB) worth around 23 million [1] to equip 40 first-generation ICE high speed trains with Atlas 200, its ETCS [2]/ERTMS [3] Level 2 signalling solution. The contract includes also a software maintenance contract over six years and an option to equip 19 other trains. 

The ERTMS level 2 that will be installed, complies with the most recent Technical Specifications for Interoperability[4] and with Baseline 3 maintenance release 1 a standard that will be in force in Europe as from July 2015.  Equipped with the new system, the train will be able to run from Berlin to Munich in four hours instead of the current six. 

This order proves our contribution to the interoperability of European rail transport says Dr. Martin Lange, the member of the board of Alstom Deutschland AG responsible for transport. With this award, Alstom is now equipping nearly the entire Deutsche Bahns intercity fleet with ERTMS Level 2 and is pleased to be contributing to the improvement of the rail network and making it more fluid.

The first newly equipped ICE 1 trains will be circulating again from December 2017 at the connection from Berlin Leipzig/ Halle (Saale) Erfurt Nuremberg Munich. Our travelers will profit from a travelling time of about four hours between Berlin and Munich, said Andreas Busemann, Director Production at DB Fernverkehr. Furthermore, some trains will also operate as far as Basel and throughout Switzerland under ERTMS Level 1 mode Limited Supervision, which is set to be introduced there in 2017.

Atlas 200 is a signalling system developed by Alstom to introduce a single signaling system shared by all European Union countries. This facilitates border crossing, allows for more trains to circulate both freight and passenger, and at the same time, ensures maximum safety. 

Today, more than 4,600 trains, in more than 110 different models, are being equipped with Atlas worldwide, amongst which more than 1,850 are in commercial service.In Germany, more than 90% of the ERTMS-equipped vehicles in active service are equipped by Alstom. 

The project will be undertaken as a partnership between several Alstom sites: the ERTMS centre of excellence in Charleroi, Belgium (software development and adaption); Villeurbanne, France (hardware); the rolling stock construction and service sites in Salzgitter and Brunswick (vehicle integration and installation); and the leading project office in Berlin (project and approval management).

[1] Booked in Q2 of FY 2014-15 
[2] European Train Control System  
[3] European Railways Traffic Management System
[4] Baseline 3