Alstom Reaches Milestone in Hungary Electric Train Fleet Modernisation Project

Alstom Reaches Milestone in Hungary Electric Train Fleet Modernisation Project

(IN BRIEF) Alstom has reached a milestone in the modernization project of the Flirt-type electric trains in Hungary by equipping the first 36 of 59 units with its Atlas ETCS Level 2 L2 train control equipment. The project, which began three years ago, aims to upgrade trains to run at higher speeds on lines where track conditions allow, improving traffic efficiency and enhancing safety. The project is set to be completed in September 2023 after extensive testing and verifications. Alstom has extensive experience in ETCS projects, and its ETCS system is in use in 70% of Europe’s ETCS-equipped trains.

(PRESS RELEASE)  SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France, 20-Feb-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Alstom (EPA: ALO), a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer and leader in sustainable and green mobility solutions, announces that it has reached a significant milestone in the Flirt-type electric train fleet modernisation project of MÁV-START, with European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2. The first 36 of 59 units have received the market authorisation license and are now equipped with Alstom’s Atlas ETCS Level 2 L2 train control equipment, designed to meet strict European requirements, and are back in passenger traffic. The primary goal of the ETCS Level 2 system is to enhance rail traffic safety by monitoring train movement and continuously calculating warning, operating, and emergency braking speed profiles. The entire project is set to finish in September 2023 following a certification process that involves extensive testing and verifications. Alstom was awarded the project through a public procurement process.

The upgraded ETCS Level 2 system allows the trains to run at higher speeds on lines that can accommodate it, such as the Budapest-Székesfehérvár line, resulting in a maximum speed of 160 km/h, up from 120 km/h. Alstom is a leading expert in mainline signalling standards, with over 120 ETCS projects worldwide, 19,200 onboard units, and 13,300 km of equipped lines. In Europe, Alstom has delivered 70% of ETCS-equipped trains in service.

“In the history of Hungarian rail transport, this is the first case of electric trains being retrofitted with an ETCS train control system. The results confirm that this project successfully improves traffic safety and efficiency. Moreover, it was particularly important for us, as a company committed to the development of Hungarian railways, to install the equipment in MÁV START’s Flirt electric fleet in Hungary, thanks to the work at our Szolnok site,” says Gáspár Balázs, CEO of Alstom Transport Hungary.

The Flirt-type electric train fleet modernisation project began three years ago when Alstom received the conversion license for the Flirt electric multiple units. The trains were subjected to extensive testing and were required to run 250,000 km without failure. The National Rail Authority granted type-approval of the vehicle in December 2022 after an independent certification body verified that the vehicle’s design, manufacture, and assembly comply with all European and national standards.

Alstom™ and Atlas™ are protected trademarks of the Alstom Group.

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