Norway’s national on-board train control system to be supplied by Alstom

Alstom has been awarded a contract by Bane NOR, the Norwegian railway authority, to equip the entire Norwegian rail fleet with ERTMS on-board train control solution.

The contract also includes maintenance of the system for up to 25 years.

As part of the national ERTMS roll-out, the new on-board system will help ensure the Norwegian railway network is more efficient and reliable, reducing delays for passengers and freight services, while guaranteeing the highest levels of safety.

The awarded contract consists of frame contracts for 14 different railway vehicle owners, negotiated by Bane NOR on behalf of the participating companies, to cover the serial installation of the on-board solution on 467 trains of 55 different types.

“We are very pleased to have been awarded this contract. Alstom will supply a reliable and durable on-board signalling system, providing Norway with a punctual, safe, modern and larger capacity rail system,” said Rob Whyte, Managing Director of Alstom in the Nordics. “The proposed solution will capture the benefits of the Norwegian government’s investment programme for passengers, local stakeholders and the diverse communities the railway serves.”

The solution offered is based on Alstom’s Atlas range of ERTMS solutions and features a dual system enabling the trains to run on legacy lines equipped with ATC-2 system and on lines newly equipped with the ERTMS Level 2 system. The design and software minimise the equipment in the dual system by sharing some on-board components, namely the balise antenna and the computer. Train fittings are due to start in 2021 and the first trains are planned to start operation on Norwegian lines in 2022. The entire Norwegian fleet is to be equipped before September 2026.

Presently, across 20 countries, trains under Atlas supervision have covered over 150 million kilometres, including Deutsche Bahn’s ICE3 fleet recently equipped in Germany.

“Awarding the contracts for on-board equipment on the trains is a significant and important step forward in the digitalisation of Norwegian railways. We strongly believe in Alstom’s ability to develop good solutions together with us for the benefit of the railways, the train companies and the passengers,” said Sverre Kjenne, Executive Vice President, Digitalisation and Technology at Bane NOR.