Thales to deploy ETCS Level 2 on Turkey’s first high-speed rail line

Thales has signed a new €20 million signalling contract with Turkish State Railways (TCDD) to install the ETCS Level 2 system, including automatic train protection and GSM-R communications, for the 250 km double-track Eskisehir-Sincan section of the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed line.

This new equipment will increase the capacity of Turkey’s first high-speed line, which is designed for speeds of up to 250 km/h and was brought into commercial service by Thales in March 2009.

Thales is already closely involved in the project to upgrade the Ankara-Istanbul line and has been awarded ETCS Level 1 contracts for more than 400 km of double-track sections. The company delivered signalling and telecommunications solutions for the 256 km Hasanbey-Esenkent section in Phase 1 of the project, and is currently deploying signalling systems for a total of 180 km of other sections of the line.

The new agreement is the latest success in Thales Spain’s continuing efforts to export Thales’s ETCS technology and consolidates the Group’s presence in Turkey and its commitment to the country’s railway market. It confirms Thales’s leadership position in the high-speed rail sector in general, and in Turkey in particular.