Alstom has supplied, installed and tested Australia’s first European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 signaling in New South Wales as a pilot trial as part of the Automatic Train Protection Project for the State’s transport authority, Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW). The installation of both the on-board and trackside equipment covers four test trains and an area of seven miles between the suburbs of Arncliffe and Oatley, in the South of Sydney.

The pilot project allows TfNSW and the operator, Sydney Trains, to test the functionalities of the ETCS system, which will support the further rollout across critical sections of Sydney network. Deployment of the ETCS technology will enhance the safety and improve the capacity of the rail corridors, according to Alstom.

The ETCS Level 2 solution used for the pilot is based on Alstom’s ATLAS 200 and Smartlock 400 systems. Smartlock 400 is the latest evolution in Alstom’s interlocking family and benefits from 30 years of worldwide return on experience. It is suited for all railway topology, with a centralized or distributed architecture and is applicable for both new and existing installations. The technology offers very high operational functionality that maximizes safety and punctuality, according to the company.

Alstom’s ATLAS 200 ETCS L2 solution has been developed specifically to comply with European Railway Agency specifications that benefit from more than 10 years of return of experience following the first installation in Europe.

A team of more than 50 signaling experts based in Sydney and Melbourne worked closely with the European ETCS Centre of Excellence, based in Charleroi, Belgium to ensure the advanced technology was adapted to the specific needs of the project.

As an additional part of the project, Alstom is also delivering its ETCS Level 1 solution, ATLAS 100, to TfNSW for more than 1400 signals and 168 trains to further enhance safety and capacity of the network.