On December 18, 2020, global mobility provider Bombardier Transportation and its customer Railpool, one of Europe’s leading rail vehicle leasing companies, have announced the signature of a contract for a European Train Control System (ETCS) Baseline 3 upgrade for 73 of Railpool’s BOMBARDIER TRAXX MS2 locomotives. This new ETCS standard comes with the following advantages:
- Increased safety from an improved brake curve model and better information for the driver before level crossings
- A new standard called Limited Supervision that completely replaces national safety systems by ETCS at relatively low infrastructure costs
- Cold movement detection for more efficient operation and increased safety for parked locomotives.
- The locomotives will be successively upgraded, starting with 39 vehicles for the Netherlands.
“The upgrade of these locomotives from ETCS Baseline 2 to ETCS Baseline 3 makes our TRAXX MS2 locomotives more future-proof. The harmonization coming with ETCS Baseline 3 reduces complexity and increases interoperability. Parts of the track infrastructure won’t be needed any longer. We expect benefits for our customers like higher operational performance, lower infrastructure costs and higher availability after this change,” explained Torsten Lehnert, Railpool CEO.
“The new order is an expansion of our successful partnership with Railpool, with whom we have continuously developed our platform for over a decade and to whom we delivered their 200th TRAXX locomotive only a few weeks ago. Now we are deepening this partnership also in relation to the existing fleet in order to secure the asset value and the competitiveness of the vehicles over the lifetime,” added Peter Ammann, Head of Global Business Development Locomotives, Bombardier Transportation.
- More than 2,300 TRAXX locomotives have been sold in the last 20 years.
- The locomotives in operation achieve a total annual mileage of 300 million km – so the locomotives drove around the earth 7,500 times during this period.
- They are also authorized to operate in 20 countries around the world.
- MS stands for multi-system, an electric locomotive able to operate on AC and DC railway electrification systems – often needed for cross-border operation.
About Railpool:
Railpool is one of the leading rail vehicle rental companies with genuine competence for full service from one source. The company was founded in Munich in 2008 and is now active in 16 European countries. With over 400 electric locomotives (and an investment sum of 1.2 billion euro), Railpool is one of the largest providers in Europe. Its fleet covers 66,250,000 kilometres every year and the company has 2,700 different spare parts in stock.
About Bombardier Transportation:
Bombardier Transportation is a global mobility solution provider leading the way with the rail industry’s broadest portfolio. It covers the full spectrum of solutions, ranging from trains to sub-systems and signalling to complete turnkey transport systems, e-mobility technology and data-driven maintenance services. Combining technology and performance with empathy, Bombardier Transportation continuously breaks new ground in sustainable mobility by providing integrated solutions that create substantial benefits for operators, passengers and the environment. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Bombardier Transportation employs around 36,000 people and its products and services operate in over 60 countries.
About Bombardier:
With over 52,000 employees across two business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.
Headquartered in Montréal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in over 25 countries across the segments of Aviation and Transportation. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, Bombardier posted revenues of $15.8 billion.
Source: Bombardier-Press Release
