Projektdetail

The important traffic axis between Oberhausen and the Swiss border near Basel will be equipped with modern ETCS train control technology over the next few years. The large-scale ETCS Corridor Rhine-Alpine project covers around 1,600 kilometres and forms the German part of the scope of equipment for the trans-European Rhine-Alpine Corridor. It is one of the busiest traffic axes in Europe and runs from the Dutch seaport of Rotterdam via Holland, Germany, Switzerland, through the new Gotthard Tunnel and Italy to the seaport of Genoa.

ETCS as a train control system should make rail traffic safer, faster and cheaper. To this end, the more than 20 different European train control systems are to be replaced by a uniform and interoperable European standard. The common standards required for this are laid down in the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI).

The route will be equipped with either ETCS Level 1 LS or Level 2 on the individual route sections. The maximum speed on route sections equipped with ETCS Level 1 LS is 160 km/h. The functionality is comparable to today’s punctual train control (PZB).

ETCS Level 2 is used, among other things, on existing routes in Germany that have electronic interlockings or speeds in excess of 160 km/h. The route is secured in the signal box. The functionality of the continuous train monitoring is comparable to today’s linear train control (LZB).

With ETCS Level 2, information is exchanged between the vehicle and the signal box via the European railways’ own radio system (GSM-R).

Deutsche Bahn has been working successfully with EPLASS since 2010. The existing framework agreement was extended until 2024.

Project overview: The nearly 1,600 kilometer long section of the Rhine-Alpine corridor runs through Germany. Around 500 kilometers of track will be equipped with ETCS Level 2 and over 1,000 kilometers with ETCS Level 1. The major project is divided into the sub-areas Southwest, Central and West and successfully uses EPLASS CDE, especially in the area of ​​inventory planning.
In order to optimize the processes for inventory plan management, a solution was worked on to facilitate the provision (information inventory plans) and blocking of plans. The aim was to avoid unnecessary closures. Only plans that actually need to be updated, changed or deleted as part of the construction project should be blocked. Other plans should be requested “for information only”.
This goal was achieved through complex coordination with the overall project as well as the project participants, IZ-Plan employees and EPLASS. The result was the new module “Info/Inventory Planning”.

The information/inventory planning module has been used in all 3 sub-areas of the major project since 2020. The module was used for the first time in a major project and is now also being used successfully in other projects.

In order to automate the processes for this complex project with many participants, EPLASS programmed its own workflow individually in coordination with the large-scale project ETCS Corridor Rhine-Alpine and tailored it to the needs. The module plan management (digital plan check run with DOWEBA interface to the Federal Railway Authority) and inventory plan management (info inventory planning) have been used since 2020. The information as-built planning is the first project of its kind and applied for the first time in coordination with IZ-Plan. It is now also being used successfully in other projects.