Alstom to equip DB Cargo freight locomotive with state-of-the-art ETCS technology for service in Belgium and the Netherlands

Project is co-financed by the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management

Alstom is further expanding its onboard signalling presence in Europe by signing a contract to equip yet another locomotive with the latest ETCS[1] signalling technology. This latest project, subsidized by the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, will see Alstom’s proven Atlas ETCS Baseline 3 Release 2 solution installed into one of DB Cargo’s DE6400 freight locomotives. The new signalling technology will furthermore enable Belgian-Dutch freight traffic when the lines are converted to ETCS for the 2024/2025 timetable change in Belgium and the 2026/2027 timetable change in the Netherlands.

We are delighted that DB Cargo has once again placed its trust in us for their modifications. Alstom is the first company to be fully certified in the latest rolling stock and trackside ETCS standards and our state-of-the-art signalling solutions adapt to the specific requirements of each operating environment, ensuring the highest standards for safe, trans-European freight transport.
Michael Konias Head of Digital & Integrated Systems at Alstom for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

"We are delighted that DB Cargo has once again placed its trust in us for their modifications. Alstom is the first company to be fully certified in the latest rolling stock and trackside ETCS standards and our state-of-the-art signalling solutions adapt to the specific requirements of each operating environment, ensuring the highest standards for safe, trans-European freight transport," said Michael Konias, Head of Digital & Integrated Systems at Alstom for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Under the contract, the existing Dutch ATB-EG and ATB-NG systems, as well as the Belgian national system (TBL1+), will be integrated with the ETCS system. Among the most efficient train control systems in the world, this signalling technology modernisation will significantly improve Belgian-Dutch freight operations while increasing its safety, reliability, and punctuality - in addition to cutting maintenance costs.

Retrofitting work for the first prototype will be carried out by freight locomotive maintenance expert Shunter, whom Alstom signed an acquisition purchase agreement with in March 2021. With the acquisition, Alstom will strengthen its expertise in the service sector and expand its presence in the Benelux countries.

Modifying this locomotive prototype is the latest step in Alstom’s expanding position in on-board signalling technology withing the European freight traffic market. In January 2020, Alstom and DB Cargo announced a project to retrofit a total of 13 EG3100 freight locomotives with the latest ETCS signalling technology standard (Baseline 3 Release 2) for trans-European freight traffic between Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.

Worldwide, Alstom has over 13,000 employees working on digitalisation in the rail sector in the areas of signalling technology, smart mobility and cybersecurity with many of them based in Germany.

[1] European Train Control System

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