ERTMS for a competitive railway

ERTMS for a competitive railway

A joint cross-border traffic management system for railways Sweden and Europe need a competitive railway system. With the focus on this, EU decided in 1996 that a standardized European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) should be introduced on all high-speed lines and, in the long term, also on conventional lines. The goal for the railway is to be a strong competitor compared to other transport alternatives and that the cross-border traffic should be simplified. ERTMS is an important element in the work aimed at achieving this objective. Since the system will be introduced in all EU countries, it lays the foundations for a joint platform that simplifies travel across national boundaries. Moreover, the idea is that there will be no need to change locomotives or enginedrivers, or have knowledge of the specific systems of various countries. In the long term, it will also be possible to introduce joint operating rules to facilitate the cross-border traffic further. Sweden is the first country in the world to introduce ERTMS Regional, which is a level 3 system, and has also started the introduction of ERTMS levels 1 and 2. In addition, a plan has been drawn up for introduction of the system by 2030 on the majority of Swedish railway lines. Just like Sweden, EU member countries have submitted their plans for the introduction of ERTMS. Lines equipped with ERTMS according to the plans up to: 2012 2015 2020 WHAT IS ERTMS? ERTMS is a traffic management system that monitors and controls the traffic on the railways. The system supersedes today s ATC system and consists of two parts the European Train Control System (ETCS) and the GSM-R radio system, which is used for communication between the train and the traffic control centre. GSM-R is a railway application of the traditional GSM system. ETCS consists of equipment installed on the train and at trackside. The trackside equipment of the system includes balises (electronic beacons) that are activated when a train passes. The balise sends information to the unit onboard the train which, in turn, sends information to the traffic control centre and the radio block centre. The communication ensures that the information is always up-to-date and is matched to the particular train involved. The enginedriver receives information on a computer monitor regarding, for example, the speed limit, the position of the train, coming gradients and distance to a target point. Since the traffic control centre has access to the information from all trains, regardless of whether they are in motion or stationary, the system contributes to high safety, improved punctuality and less disturbances.

There are three levels of the ERTMS system and Sweden has chosen level 2 as the main strategy: ERTMS Level 1 Level 1 has optical signals, track circuits and balises along the line. The balises contain information on speed and movement instructions, as well as other necessary information. The track circuit checks that the line is free from obstacles and that the train is complete. If the driver reacts too slowly to a signal change for braking, the train will brake on its own. Benefits of ERTMS Improves the competitiveness of the railway Enables trains to travel at speeds in excess of 200 km/h Simplifies cross-border traffic Reduced operating and maintenance costs Less operational disturbances Improved punctuality Increased line capacity Improved safety ERTMS Level 2 Level 2 requires no optical signals. All basic information is obtained via GSM-R. The signals transmitted to the locomotive are always up-to-date. The balises are only used to position the train. The track circuit checks that the line is free from obstacles and that all the train is complete. The information on upcoming speeds and gradients enables the driver to plan his driving better and to travel at a more optimised speed. ERTMS Level 3 Same as level 2 but the check for train completeness is done on board thus making track circuits no longer necessary.

ETCS and STM in all trains ERTMS will be introduced in accordance with the vehicle strategy. The strategy implies that a majority of the train fleet will be equipped initially followed by a deployment trackside. Since the transition to ERTMS cannot take place overnight, trains must be able to operate on ERTMS equipped infrastructure as well as on existing ATC lines. A Specific Transmission Module (STM) is needed to achieve this. The STM unit can read data from the existing trackside equipment and can convert it in to a format that is transmittable to the new onboard system. This makes it possible for a train equipped with ERTMS to run on both ATC lines and ERTMS lines, and the system can be introduced in the infrastructure gradually. Which lines will be equipped with ERTMS? Sweden will gradually introduce ERTMS on the basis of a plan for the period of 2008 to 2030: Implementation plan 2008-2015 Level 1 Large stations - Level 2 - Lines and medium-sized/small stations - Bothnia Line - Ådal Line - Line - City Tunnel - Öresund Link - Malmö-Hässleholm Östersund Ånge Level 3 Low-traffic lines - Västerdal Line - 5 6 low-traffic lines Sundsvall Implenentation plan 2016-2019 Level 1 Large stations and the Stockholm region - Hallsberg - City Line ERTMS Regional improves safety ERTMS Regional is a level 3 system which Sweden is introducing on lines that do not have ATC system lines on which traffic control takes place manually on the basis of telephone communication between local train dispatchers. When ERTMS Regional is introduced on these lines, safety will improve substantially. The Västerdal Line is a pilot line for ERTMS Regional and has been selected as a pilot line mainly because it is typical for the line type for which the system is intended and is a line that has no through traffic. This means that a limited number of vehicles are affected and only one traffic control centre is involved. Which lines are being equipped? The Bothnia Line, the ÅdaI Line, the City Tunnel and the Line are pilot lines for the ERTMS level 2. These are being equipped with ERTMS level 2 and represent the core and the experience bank preparatory to the continued introduction of ERTMS in Sweden. According to current legislation, ERTMS must always be introduced in new construction, extensive upgrading of the railway, and signalling systems with reinvestment requirements. In addition to these, priority is assigned to the lines that the EU has identified as being a part of a European strategic corridor network. Uddevalla Göteborg Hallsberg Västerås Uppsala Stockholm - Iron Ore Line - Mjölby-Katrineholm - Hässleholm-Hallsberg - Hallsberg-Järna-(Stockholm) Implementation plan 2020-2025 - Hallsberg-Gothenburg - East Coast Line - Arlanda Line - West Coast Line - Norway/Vänern Line (Gothenburg-Kornsjö) Implementation plan 2026-2030 - According to the TEN network Helsingborg Malmö

Pilots Holmsund The plan for how Sweden will gradually introduce ERTMS runs up to 2030. The plan for the coming few years is as follows: Malu Holmsund The Ådal Line is for both passenger and cargo traffic. It includes over 100 level crossings and runs between Sundsvall and Västeraspby. The line is 180 km long Holmsund of which 50 km is new (Härnösand Mörtsal). ERTMS Level 2 has been chosen for the implementation and when the line has been completed, the capacity will increase from 8-10 trains/day to 50-60 trains/day. The complete line will be open for traffic in 2011. The first section will be ready in May 2010. The Västerdal Line runs between and and is 134 km long. The line has five stations, 33 level crossings and carries 16 trains per day. ERTMS Regional has been selected for the Västerdal Line, and the planned start of traffic is 2010. The maximum speed on the line is 90 km/h. Holmsund The Line runs between and and is expected to start carrying traffic in 2012. ERTMS Level 2 has been chosen for the line. The line is 156 km long (42 km of which is new track between and ) and comprises of 17 railway bridges, 40 level crossings and is intended mainly for cargo traffic. The Line is part of the NEW corridor. Line, New track on the section The Bothnia Line runs between and Ångerman River north of and is 190 km long and Malmö comprises C of 25 km of tunnels and no less than 140 bridges. ERTMS Level 2 has been chosen for the Bothnia Line, and the entire line is expected to be open for traffic in August 2010. Before this, section 1 and 2 will be completed and ready for traffic in the autumn of 2009. The City Tunnel is a 17 km long electrified rail connection running through and under the city of Malmö. The section from Malmö C to the Öresunds Line consists of 14 km of double track, of which 6 km in parallel tunnels. The remaining 3 km are a singletrack line eastwards towards and. ERTMS Level 2 has been chosen for the section and the work will also involve rebuilding of the entral Station, and new stations at and. The section is expected to be ready for carrying traffic in December 2010, and ERTMS will be commissioned in 2012. March 2009 Swedish Rail Administration Phone: +46 243 44 50 00 e-mail: ertms@banverket.se www.banverket.se/banportalen/ertms