The corridor from Prague to Budějovice has the most modern train security
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At the end of last year, the railway administration, a state organization, completed the next stage of the ETCS installation on its backbone lines. The 50-kilometer section of the fourth transit railway corridor from Prague-Uhříněves to Votice in Central Bohemia now has a single European security guard. This corridor connects Prague with the center of southern Bohemia.
Part of the railway line between Uhříněvsí and Votice underwent gradual modernization in the years 2005 to 2013. As a next step, this section was now also equipped with the ETCS system.
“The system ensures complete control of the train speed, including informing the driver of the progress to the stop.”
“It is a standardized (single) European train protection system that allows smooth operation in international rail traffic between different national railway systems. At the same time, its installation increases the safety of train traffic. The system provides complete control of the train speed, including informing the driver about the progress to the stop. At the same time, it is a necessary prerequisite for equipping other systems that will enable autonomous train control and optimization of its running, ”says Vladimír Říha from the Railway Administration’s Telematics and Diagnostics Center.
Track and train connection
The device consists of track and vehicle parts. The information between them takes place in the form of data transmissions via the GSM-R radio system. The track mainly includes balises, the part between the tracks, and the radio block center (RBC). The vehicle part then includes a central computer, a recording unit, a display unit, a balise transmission module and also odometry, i.e. an accurate measurement of speed and distance traveled.
Furthermore, modifications have been made to the existing station lineside signaling equipment, which transmits information on the freedom of sections, the condition of the routes, level crossings and other important information for train operation towards the ETCS track-side section.
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“The total investment costs of the ETCS Prague-Uhříněves – Votice construction amount to more than 211 million crowns. The event was co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund under the Operational Program Transport 2014-2020. The subsidy from the EU amounted to more than 162 million crowns. The rest of the money is provided by the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure. From November 2019 to last May, construction work took place at the stations Praha-Uhříněves, Říčany, Strančice, Senohraby, Čerčany, Benešov and Olbramovice (including the Votice district) as well as in all inter-station sections. The contractor was AŽD, “said Nela Friebová, a spokeswoman for the Railway Administration.
Connection with Austria
The mentioned event, corporate from EU funds, is part of the installation of the ETCS system on the entire line from Prague via České Budějovice and Horní Dvořiště on the state border with Austria. However, this will only happen after the completion of ongoing construction projects in the sections Votice – Sudoměřice u Tábora and Doubí u Tábora – Soběslav and the planned last construction between Ševětín and Nemanice.
The ETCS system currently covers a maximum of 800 kilometers of railway lines in the Czech Republic, on which trial operation is underway, and other sections are being built or designed. “The first was the Kolín – Břeclav section up to the state border to Austria / Slovakia,” said Vladimír Říha. It was followed by other frequented sections.
“As of January 1, 2025, exclusive operation under ETCS is to be introduced on the corridors in the sections Prague – Břeclav, Břeclav – Bohumín and Přerov – Česká Třebová. ETCS security on the line from Uničov to Olomouc is being completed. Most corridor lines in the Czech Republic should be equipped with the ETCS system by the end of 2023. The Railway Administration is also preparing ETCS for national and regional lines, where in some cases they will be implemented in a simplified technical variant, ”added Vladimír Říha.
Vladimír Říha: We are constantly gaining new and new experiences
The ETCS system is installed primarily to increase safety, that is, to create a kind of backup for the driver in case of its failure. This system will not allow him to make a mistake. We are about the functioning of the state railway, with Vladimír Řího from the Telematics Center of the Organization Diagnostics.
Vladimir RihaWhy is this system being introduced?
There are two dozen different security devices installed in Europe. Because of the interconnectedness, Europe has decided to create single systems, so-called interoperability, which is the ability of different systems to work together, to provide services and to achieve interoperability.
What are the main parameters of ETCS train protection?
The main task of ETCS, like any other train protection system, is to ensure the safety of train traffic and to actively intervene in the train control in the event of a driver failure or error, which can happen. Therefore, the so-called driving license is transmitted from the radio block center via GSM-R to each vehicle that is equipped with ETCS mobile parts. This driving license consists of a static speed profile based on information obtained from existing safety devices. The radio block center therefore knows the position, direction and speed of the trains and the support for their further running in a free, safe area.
Where can ETCS be implemented?
It is important to say that there are lines of different categories according to their importance. These are lines of international importance, which are mainly the already mentioned corridors, as well as national and regional lines. Based on the importance of the individual lines, the plan was set for modern security of the Czech railways. Finally, all lines should be phased in by ETCS by 2040, in some cases in a simplified technical variant.
There is talk of bales…
Balise is a fixed device installed on or between sleepers in the center line of the track. The passing train wakes up each balise and reads the telegram, which is then processed by the ETCS mobile part.
“ETCS should gradually be all lines by 2040, in some cases in a simplified technical variant.”
How many balises are installed between Uhříněvsí and Votice?
Balises are usually installed at the beginning and end of station tracks, in spatial sections on the line, but also in other places, for example to refine odometry. Balises are grouped into so-called balise groups of one to eight. Most often, the balise group consists of two balises. There are a total of about five hundred in the mentioned section.
What is the state of the whole project?
The ETCS Uhříněves – Votice construction is now in trial operation, which is divided into three stages. We are now in the first phase, where you can only drive our measuring cars in this section, which is underway to verify the correct operation of ETCS. The second stage will start at the end of February this year – hauliers who have an ETCS approved mobile part on their vehicles will be able to start running on the line. To do this, of course, it is necessary to train drivers properly. It is also necessary to comply with these technical and administrative measures during the phase. After its successful evaluation, it will then move to the third stage, when there will be no more restrictions towards carriers.
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The installation of the ETCS system was supported not only by the European Union in the Prague Uhříněves – Votice section. What would happen if the Railway Administration failed to obtain this subsidy?
The installation of ETCS would still take place, but it would definitely be a slower pace. So it’s nice that we managed to get the subsidy.
What did the first phase of the ETCS test run show you?
It is a completely new system and implementation into the Czech environment has its specifics. We are constantly gaining new and new experiences. So far, the small number of locomotives equipped with this system is negative, and thus the small number of carriers involved in testing the system. Recently, however, locomotives have also been equipped with older ones, so-called retrofits, and so the equipped locomotives could grow.
It is also true that some drivers are a little withdrawn to the news, they would rather drive as they are used to. But when he sees everything in reality, he suddenly changes his mind.
In addition, this ETCS system is in fact the first precondition for the introduction of autonomous trains in the future. I am satisfied with the implementation of the track section in this section.