Thales stays on track in Poland by implementing ETCS on Warszawa–Łódź Line

For an amount of roughly €100 million, a Thales-led consortium has been awarded a contract by Poland’s Rail Operator, PKP Polish Lines S.A. (PKP PLK), for the implementation of an ERTMS solution, including an ETCS Level 2 signalling system and a GSM-R communications system, on two sections of the Warszawa–Łódź Line. The two stretches, Warszawa Zachodnia-Koluszki and Koluszki- Łódź Widzew, have a combined length of roughly 125km. The contract also involves the design and operation of a local control centre, in Skierniewice.

This is the fourth contract that sees Thales implement its ETCS system in Poland. In total, Thales has respectively deployed its ETCS and its GSM-R solutions on over 700 kilometres and 500 kilometres of the Polish railway network.

The overarching purpose of this project is to assist the modernisation of the Polish railway network. The implementation of Thales’s solutions will improve safety whilst also increasing the maximum speed to 160km/h for passenger trains and 120km/h for freight trains. The line’s capacity will therefore increase and journey times will be reduced, thus making rail transport more effective; a considerable benefit for the line’s passengers, most of whom are daily commuters.