Hitachi Rail and Tågåkeriet I Bergslagen AB partner to deploy ERTMS signalling technology to harmonise Scandinavian rail

Hitachi Rail and Tågåkeriet I Bergslagen AB partner to deploy ERTMS signalling technology to harmonise Scandinavian rail

7 July, Hitachi Rail has signed a new contract to design and install the ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) digital signalling technology on-board trains operated by Tågåkeriet I Bergslagen AB (also-called Tågab) in Sweden and Norway. The modernisation of the fleet will improve operational efficiency, interoperability and the availability of the vehicles, reducing potential traffic disruptions.

Within the frame of this contract Hitachi Rail will design, build, install, test, certify and commission the on-board signalling system based on ERTMS technology and STM-ATC2 – a system that allows the trains to operate on conventional lines.

ERTMS is the most advanced technology for digitally controlling a train’s operations and aims to harmonise different train control systems. Once equipped with the interoperable systems, the new trains operated by Tågab will run seamlessly on mixed traffic lines across Scandinavia, from Sweden to Norway without interruption. The technology will also enable the automatic deployment of train safety functions such as breaking if a hazard is identified. This ability to detect and manage faults will mean that the service can increase its reliability. Equally, by regulating speed, acceleration and breaking, the system will allow the operator to benefit from a lower energy footprint and an increased resource efficiency.

Lars Yngström - CEO of Tågab: “We are proud and grateful that a world leading company, Hitachi Rail, will help a small regional railway undertaking in Sweden, Tågab, to take this step to the future! We are impressed by the outstanding skill and understanding of our terms that have led to this contract. We have learnt much from the process. Now we hope to be able to contribute to the introduction of ERTMS in a wider scale in Scandinavia together with Hitachi Rail.”

Eric Morand - in charge of the Nordics region for Hitachi Rail said: "We are excited to be working to digitise and harmonise key services between Norway and Sweden and to use our innovative signalling solutions to create a more reliable and efficient service for passengers. I am honoured and grateful to Tågab for their trust in Hitachi Rail as a key partner to innovate and support the development of smart and sustainable rail mobility for the benefit of societies across Scandinavia."

Hitachi Rail is a global industry leader in digital signalling and is the first provider to introduce ERTMS technology in Europe – in the UK, Italy, Spain and France – and in the highly competitive markets of China and India. The technologies and products designed by Hitachi Rail leverage the overall Hitachi Group’s innovation capabilities within the fields of digitalisation, decarbonisation, and sustanability to respond to the development and increasing demands of cities and population around the world.

ENDS

About Tågab

Tågåkeriet i Bergslagen AB (Tågab) is one of the first independent train operators in Sweden after liberalisation. The company was founded in 1994. Tågab is now the most complete railway company in Sweden with freight and passenger services, workshops and local infrastructure. Tågab owns 35 locomotives, 21 passenger coaches, 3 motor coaches and 180 freight wagons in operation, all maintained in Kristinehamn together with a number of other railway vehicles owned by other operators. Tågab employs 165 people of which 60 work in the workshop and is EMC certified (Entity in charge of Maintenance) for both locomotives and freight wagons for all 4 ECM functions. 

www.tagakeriet.se