Reinvent the train to make it invincible

Promoting the development of the railroad as a sustainable means of transport is a matter of supranational interest that transcends the borders and the particular objectives of each country. The interoperability sought by Europe and the increase in efficiency have as their ultimate goal to achieve comprehensive train management with common standards. For this reason, technological development has become a key element and the digitization of the train is one of the main priorities of the railway sector. Automating the railway means improving the customer experience, but also increasing its capacity and competitiveness.   On railway lines, both high-speed and medium-distance and commuter rail, the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), as a standard, allows interoperability between different manufacturers, both on board systems and on track systems, in intra-frontier and intra-frontier operations.

This system improves the efficiency and competitiveness of the railway by allowing higher speeds -in medium and long distance- and increasing capacity -in the vicinity-. All this together with the possibility of crossing borders and creating trans-European transport lines. In the case of the Spanish High Speed ​​network, the ERTMS has allowed the circulation of trains to more than 300 km / h, also improving safety.

Since its inception, Thales Spain has been one of the leading companies in the introduction of this European technology. In suburban and commuter lines, Thales has been a pioneer and has participated in the first ERTMS deployments in Europe - in Madrid's commuter network - and in America, in the suburban network of Mexico (Sistema 1 and México-Toluca). London is the second most populous city in Europe, just behind Moscow. Its subway is the oldest in the world and also the most leading in the use of technology to meet an additional demand of 90,000 daily users. Nearly 1.3 billion people used the suburban London in 2015. Considering the intricate existing network and the limitations to create new infrastructures in some areas, especially in the center of the city, the increase in capacity has to be achieved through an improvement in the efficiency of already operational lines.  

Thales, a pioneer in this field, has participated in the first implementations of ERTMS in Europe, for this reason, the London subway manager has opted to implement a Communications Based Train Control System (CBTC). The technology chosen to digitize this medium has been the SelTrac CBTC, developed by Thales, which is already used in more than 80 lines that operate in 40 of the largest cities in the world. This tool, which uses advanced train signaling and protection technology for the subway, is capable of increasing the existing capacity of the London Underground by 30 percent, as it increases the frequency and speed of trains. To do this, it automatically controls and adjusts the distance between the different machines that circulate along the same line. In addition, by improving signaling, delays are also minimized, while increasing security in the service provided.