FINLAND: GoA2 attended automated train operation over ETCS Level 2 has been demonstrated on a 19 km section of track between Juurikorpi and Hamina.
The trials by technology supplier Siemens Mobility, fleet owner Pääkaupunkiseudun Junakalusto and national train operator VR were organised to show how ATO could maximise the use of existing infrastructure. Using a Helsinki area Stadler Flirt Sm5 EMU, they included demonstrations of smooth acceleration, controlled braking and stopping from 100 km/h with a precision of 300 to 800 mm under real-world main line rail conditions, with the train being controlled automatically but with a driver in the cab.
‘Automation combined with modern safety systems increases capacity, enhances safety and brings greater predictability to rail operations’, said Esa Sirkiä, the director of Finnish transport infrastructure agency Väylävirasto. The organisation is responsible for the Digirail programme launched in 2019 to replace obsolete train control systems on the 6 000 km national network with ETCS by 2040.
‘Introducing ATO over ETCS to Finland — and for the first time to the Nordic countries — is a major milestone in modernising the railway system’, said Marc Ludwig, CEO Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, on March 10. ‘With our technology, our customers can increase capacity by 30%, significantly improve punctuality, and save over 30% energy.’
