IRELAND: Alstom has completed the first installation and assessment body certification of ETCS onboard equipment for national railway Iarnród Éireann, on a Hyundai Rotem Class 22000 inter-city diesel multiple-unit.
Earlier this year Alstom installed trackside infrastructure for an ETCS Level 1 overlay across the 120 km Dublin Area Rapid Transit commuter network and beyond, running from Dundalk in the north to Greystones in the south.
‘Availability of the first ETCS-fitted train in Ireland delivered by the Head of Series project has enabled early trackside and trainborne integration testing ahead of the entry to service of the new DART+ fleet’, said Peter Smyth, Chief Mechanical Engineer at Iarnród Eireann, on September 17. ‘ETCS retrofit projects have proven to be challenging across Europe, however through collaborative working with both teams, the HoS project has reached a significant milestone.’
ETCS is intended to become Iarnród Éireann’s main train protection system, replacing the legacy Automatic Train Protection and Continuous Automatic Warning System . This will support the roll-out of the new Alstom-built DART+ commuter train fleet, which will be delivered with ETCS installed.
