České dráhy Has Already Installed the ETCS On-Board Units in More than 420 Vehicles. The Company Has Trained 750 Drivers

5. 8. 2024 - 12:51

České dráhy has already installed the on-board units of the European Train Control System (“ETCS”) in 422 of its vehicles. Already 750 drivers of the national carrier have been trained to drive under the ETCS supervision. České dráhy is also intensively working on preparation for the launching of exclusive operation under the ETCS system on selected corridor lines as at 1 January 2025. The trains of České dráhy have been running for many months under the supervision of the European Train Control System on the sections determined by the Rail Authority.

By the end of this year, České dráhy plans to take over still 44 new vehicles with the ETCS unit installed and to retrofit another 54 vehicles from the existing rolling stock. This means that as at 1 January 2025, approximately 520 vehicles and units of this carrier will be ready for operation with the installed and functioning ETCS on-board unit. The on-board units are already installed and in service on, for example, the 162 WTB, 362 and 362 WTB class locomotives. The installation work is underway on 750 class locomotives, as well as on RegioSpider and RegioShark diesel multiple units, 660 / 661 class InterPanter electric multiple units, first-generation RegioPanters and 471 class CityElefant suburban electric multiple units. All new vehicles which České dráhy is acquiring, such as RegioFox diesel multiple units, second-generation RegioPanters and modern Vectron locomotives, already have the ETCS on-board unit installed directly from the factory.

“Since 1 August, a binding instruction of the Rail Authority has been in force, which obliges carriers to run on selected line sections with the ETCS system activated on the board of trains if the vehicle is equipped with an active mobile part of the ETCS system and the driver is properly trained. However, this does not change anything for České dráhy, we have already introduced such a measure in our internal directives already at the beginning of 2023,” says Jiří Ješeta, Member of the Board of Directors and Deputy Director General of České dráhy for Passenger Transport, adding: “The trains of České dráhy in the ETCS switch-on mode already travel several thousand kilometres a day, for example on corridors from the Slovak and Polish borders via Bohumín to Břeclav, from Břeclav via Brno to Česká Třebová, from Přerov via Česká Třebová to Prague or from Beroun via Plzeň to Cheb. Moreover, we are the only train carrier in the Czech Republic to operate under the exclusive ETCS operation on the railway line from Uničov to Olomouc.”

Intensive training of drivers focused on operation of the ETCS-equipped vehicles also continues. More than 750 drivers have already undergone these training courses at České dráhy, and more are now in the induction process.

The ETCS (European Train Control System) is a unified European train control system. Its aim is to eliminate different national systems, enable interoperable operation of locomotives across Europe, increase train speeds and railway line capacity and improve the railway operation safety. It consists of two basic parts. The track-side part is a part of the railway lines and provides transmission of information to the trains. The mobile part is installed on the board of railway vehicles, receives information from the track-side part and transmits it to the driver, intervening automatically and stopping the train if necessary.

Author: Tiskové oddělení Českých drah

Release date: 5. 8. 2024

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