CHILE: National railway EFE Trenes de Chile has awarded Alstom a €55m contract for the deployment of the Virtual Signalling Control digital traffic management tool.
Known locally as CSV, the technology is to be rolled out over 1 800 km of route to provide what Alstom terms a digital information platform for rail operations. This is intended to provide a low-cost digital signalling and ATP function while also facilitating the automation of various operating processes to improve safety and reliability, add capacity and reduce infrastructure maintenance cost.
The signalling system will consist of a control centre, which will integrate the existing and new interlocking equipment into a single operating interface, as well as onboard signalling units which provide real-time information on traffic parameters to drivers of freight and passenger trains alike. Among the information shown in the cab would be excessive speed and track occupancy; the OBU can also trigger an automatic brake application should overspeed be detected or a movement authority exceeded, Alstom says.
As well as provision of ATP and centralised traffic control, CSV has a central planning tool to plan access to the infrastructure for possessions and enhancement works. EFE also expects the CSV suite to be used to monitor the health and performance of infrastructure and rolling stock in real time, capturing key data including train composition, vehicle temperature and wheel profile measurement.
The contract contains five years of maintenance with the option to renew. CSV is due to be launched under a pilot phase in November 2025.
‘This initiative will provide train operators with more timely, accurate and reliable information and also optimise the rail transport business by allowing for a higher frequency for freight trains, improving the capacity of the freight network’, said Denis Girault, Alstom Chile’s Managing Director.
While CSV is to be fitted to much of the network, on some of the busiest urban routes EFE has already installed ETCS Level 1. This has been installed on the Puerto – Limache and Santiago – Nos suburban lines as an overlay providing ATP functionality.
