SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has awarded Sistemas & Montajes Industriales a €6m contract to support pilot testing of the Future Railway Mobile Communication System.
The pilot scheme covers the 25 km single track non-electrified line between Matallana and Asunción Universidad station in the outer suburbs of León, the current western terminus of the metre-gauge line from Bilbao.
The signalling, communications and electronic interlocking infrastructure has been renewed over the past few years, enabling the route to be managed from the León control centre. The FRMCS pilot scheme contract covers the construction and maintenance of technical buildings and cabinets, masts, power supplies and power transmission, optic fibre cables and IP data communications.
The pilot scheme forms part of the FP 2-R2DATO (Digital & Automated up to Autonomous Train Operations) project backed by the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking.
Train operator RENFE will provide diesel multiple-units for the trials, which are to begin in 2026.
‘The transition to FRMCS not only involves a technological change, but also a profound transformation in the way rail transport is communicated and managed. It’s a qualitative leap toward a smarter, more interoperable and safer network’, Sistem said in a statement.
The high speed line between Albacete and Alacant is also to be used for FRMCS pilot projects.
