DENMARK: Operator DSB is working on the development of a platform-based obstacle detection system that it describes as ‘one of the most pioneering elements’ in the programme to equip København’s 170 km S-bane network for GoA4 unattended operation.
ODS-P is intended to ensure safety in an open environment without the use of platform screen doors, which DSB’s Executive Vice President, Strategy & Rolling Stock Jürgen Müller said were considered too costly and too disruptive to deploy across the whole S-bane network.
Siemens Mobility and Hitachi Rail (previously Thales GTS) have been prequalified to supply the ODS-P as part of the Supporting Systems package. This will also include the provision of CCTV, passenger information systems and emergency stop buttons, and Müller said the contract was expected to be awarded ‘after the summer’.
‘ODS-P technology is not readily available on the market’, DSB explained to Railway Gazette International, adding that the planned development ‘could pave the way for cost-effective GoA4 solutions on other networks worldwide’.
Siemens Mobility is equipping the S-bane network for GoA4 operation under a €270m contract awarded in April 2024. In January this year, DSB selected a consortium of Siemens Mobility and Stadler to supply and maintain a fleet of at least 226 electric multiple-units suitable for driverless operation.
‘When the third large element, the Supporting Systems contract is awarded, we will have all the puzzle pieces in our hands’, Müller confirmed.
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Read more about DSB’s programme to automate the København S-bane network in the May 2026 issue of Railway Gazette International.
