CFL’s new Coradia trains to be equipped with Automatic Train Operation

Luxembourg National Railway (CFL) has chosen Alstom to equip its 34 new Coradia regional trains, ordered in December 2018, with an Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system. It will be the first time in Europe that a regional train fleet is equipped with ATO at Grade of Automation level 2 (GoA2) in combination with ETCS.

The high-capacity double-deck trains will be equipped with the latest automation technology and will gradually enter commercial service on Luxembourg’s national network, as well as in Belgium and France, at the end of 2021. 

ATO is a digital system that enables varying degrees of automation of trains and aids train drivers in performing some of their tasks. Four levels of automation have been defined. The higher the degree of automation (Grade of Automation or GoA), the greater the number of tasks that the system can handle.

GoA4 is the highest level of automation without a driver on board, as on some metro lines. Benefits of ATO include increasing the density of trains on the network, saving energy, improving punctuality and increasing the level of safety by limiting human error.

Credit: Alstom

The Coradia Stream trains for CFL will be equipped with the ATO Level GoA2 automatic operation system. GoA2 involves fully automated starting, driving and stopping, with a driver who can intervene in the event of an emergency. It increases the capacity of the network by reducing intervals between trains and saves energy by regulating traction and braking forces. The ATO GoA2 equipment will be installed on CFL’s trains at Alstom’s Signalling Centre of Excellence in Charleroi, Belgium.

“In the future, automated trains will optimise regional rail operations, reduce energy consumption and increase passenger comfort,” explains Bernard Belvaux, Managing Director of Alstom Benelux. “Automatic operation will make a decisive contribution to the development of a modern, attractive railway network. We are proud to work with CFL to offer this European first.”

“Safety, quality, efficiency and innovation are the priorities of our Group’s strategy, which puts the customer at the centre of our concerns. In line with these strategic priorities, we have been a pioneer in Europe in implementing the European Train Control System (ETCS) on the entire rail network. The use of automated trains is, therefore, intrinsically part of this customer orientation, and our Group will continue to innovate in the field of its passenger activity by relying on this innovative technology which will enable us to improve our customer service with gains in punctuality and a more efficient use of our resources,” says Marc Wengler, General Manager of CFL.