Alstom has been awarded a contract by Bane NOR, the Norwegian railway authority, to equip the entire Norwegian railway fleet with ERTMS on-board train control solution. In practice, this means the manufacturer wil install the on-board solution on 467 trains. Moreover, it will provide maintainance of the systems for up to 25 years. The installation will be completed by 2026.

As part of the country’s national ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) roll-out, the new on-board system will contribute to making the Norwegian railway network more efficient and reliable, reducing delays for passengers and freight services, while guaranteeing the highest levels of safety.

55 different train types

The awarded contract consists of frame contracts for 14 different railway vehicle owners, negotiated by Bane NOR on behalf of the participating companies, to cover the serial installation of the on-board solution on 467 trains of 55 different types.

“We are very pleased to have been awarded this contract. Alstom will supply a reliable and durable on-board signalling system, providing Norway with a punctual, safe, modern and larger capacity rail system. The proposed solution will capture the benefits of the Norwegian government’s investment programme for passengers, local stakeholders and the diverse communities the railway serves,” said Rob Whyte, managing director of Alstom in the Nordics.

Digitalisation of railway

“Awarding the contracts for on-board equipment on the trains is a significant and important step forward in the digitalisation of Norwegian railways. We strongly believe in Alstom’s ability to develop good solutions together with us for the benefit of the railways, the train companies and the passengers,” said Sverre Kjenne, executive vice president Digitalisation and Technology at Bane NOR.

The solution offered is based on Alstom’s Atlas range of ERTMS solutions and features a dual system enabling the trains to run on legacy lines equipped with ATC-2 system, while being able to run on lines newly equipped with the ERTMS Level 2 system. The design and software minimise the equipment in the dual system by sharing some on-board components, namely the balise antenna and the computer. Serial train fittings are due to start in 2021, and the first trains are planned to start operation on Norwegian lines in 2022. The entire Norwegian fleet is to be equipped before September 2026.

Design will be led by Alstom’s ERTMS centre of excellence in Charleroi, Belgium, in close collaboration with the project office in Oslo, Norway, and the hardware development centre in Villeurbanne, France.