Proceedings 2002/2003 - IRSE

70
MIGRATION TO ERTMS ON EXISTING LINES
Figure 10 – Future ERTMS/ETCS Projects in Spain
Spain has many further projects, with a total of
7,000 km of high-speed lines to be in service by
2020 (see Figure 10). There are other projects too for
modernisation of existing conventional lines, with
ERTMS/ETCS Level 1 or Level 2 to be fitted depending
on traffic density.
In Switzerland the clockwork is running and SBB-
CFF, the national, integrated railway, has precise
plans for commissioning lines and on-board
equipment year on year until the whole country is
covered in 2017. The plan is to equip lines having
denser traffic with Level 2 (about 40% of route-km.)
and all other lines with Level 1 with “limited
supervision”, ie a version adapted from the
European specifications in which only dangerous
locations (in stations and junctions) would be fitted
rather than the whole line. SBB-CFF have demonstrated
that this approach would save nearly
two-thirds of the cost for these lines. Most rolling
stock will, of course, be equipped with Level 2 so
that it can operate anywhere on the network.
In the UK the West Coast Main Line project is
continuing, and there are now new plans under the
management of the ERTMS Programme Team (EPT)
to introduce ERTMS/ETCS at national level in the
future. The main ideas are the recommendations of
the EPT:
• Level 2 will be adopted throughout the UK for
main lines, allowing lineside signals to be
removed in the longer term, in order to increase
line capacity and to reduce operation and
maintenance costs;
• fitting of trains will be prioritised.
Other UK aspects of ERTMS/ETCS are:
• Early Deployment Sites (EDS) will be implemented
to prove the system by 2008;
• fitting of high-speed lines should be completed
by 2015;
• the remainder of the infrastructure should be
fitted when existing lineside signalling is
renewed (and so will probably go on beyond
2015);
• regional lines will also be tackled, but probably
independently of ERTMS/ETCS.
More could be said in Europe about migration
from existing signalling to ERTMS/ETCS, especially
on existing lines, for no two countries are really alike
in this respect.
Outside Europe, several countries are already
seriously considering ERTMS/ETCS, also for
different reasons.
In Australia, there are potential needs for long
distance traffic and also on suburban lines.
In China, vast requirements exist and ERTMS/
ETCS could bring solutions to many of them,
ranging from high-speed lines to places where an
increase of line capacity is needed, requirements for
more efficient operation, and management of singletrack
lines.
In India, various needs exist, ranging from
requirements for safety improvements and higher
availability of the railway to introduction of additional
functions that current local signalling solutions
seem unable to provide. A requirement has been
expressed for instance for level crossing management
and supervision to be included in any future
signalling system for Indian railways.
And it is certain that many other railways in the
world will adopt ERTMS/ETCS.
CONCLUSION – A VISION OF THE
FUTURE WITH ERTMS/ETCS
From this overview of the present situation about
ERTMS/ETCS in Europe and in the world, we can
conclude that:
• Fact No.1: ERTMS/ETCS is now present or soon
to come into service in many places. Once it
arrives railways, starting with the drivers, will
have no desire to go back to the former system.
• Fact No.2: Railways will have diverse goals in
introducing ERTMS/ETCS. Each railway has its
own priorities, for reasons that tend to be tied
up with history and local politics.
• Fact No. 3: ERTMS/ETCS will be important in
helping rail to compete with air and road
transport, in ways that in some cases may not
be so evident, and may even be rather innovative
– an opportunity which should not be
missed.
So the final vision is that by about 2020, all highspeed
lines and most other conventional lines in
Europe will be operated using ERTMS/ETCS, as
will a number of lines outside Europe.