Alstom to provide ERTMS signalling system in central and southern Italy

Credit: Alstom

Alstom has signed a framework agreement worth around €900 million with Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) to design, deliver and commission an ERTMS signalling system (the most advanced train supervision and control system available) on a large scale in Italy.

Alstom will provide the latest ERTMS Baseline 3 Level 2 signalling system with GSM-R and digital interlocking ACCM on 27 lines managed by RFI in the regions of Sardinia, Molise, Puglia, Umbria, Lazio, and Campania. The system proposed by Alstom meets the technical specifications for interoperability required by the European Union and the CENELEC standards for railway safety, guaranteeing the highest safety standards.

Alstom and RFI

“With this new contract, Alstom reaffirms itself as the reference player in the railway sector in Italy,” Gian Luca Erbacci, Europe Region President at Alstom, said. “Being selected by RFI for the second time for one of the key projects of the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan is a source of immense pride for Alstom. It also demonstrates Alstom’s commitment to providing Italy with innovative technology aimed at improving the country’s rail infrastructure and providing smart and sustainable mobility solutions that will benefit its passengers.”

The “South-Centre” lot is part of a €2.7-billion tender, launched by RFI for the implementation of ERTMS throughout the country. It represents the final portion of the technical projects to be financed within the framework of the NRRP and will transform a total of approximately 4,800 kilometres of railway lines.

Importance of ERTMS

ERTMS is the latest and most advanced traffic management system for railways across Europe. It constitutes a major industrial project that will make rail transport more fluid and more competitive across the continent. ERTMS ensures interoperability of the national railway systems, reducing the purchase and maintenance costs of signalling systems, as well as increasing the trains regularity and capacity of networks.