Fig.: Stadlerrail
DB's maintenance and track work vehicles are to be equipped with a new version of Stadler's European Train Control System. Eight "Guardia" type vehicles are to be delivered to Deutsche Bahn soon, with an option for up to 72 more agreed upon.
Stadler has won a Europe-wide tender to retrofit up for to 80 special-purpose vehicles DB Netz AG with its proprietaryGuardia train control system (ETCS Baseline 3.6.0). The retrofitting will initially take place on eight vehiclesof the 711.1 and 741.X series, which will enter service in Germany and Switzerland from 2024 onwards.
This retrofit marks the second deployment of Guardia on Deutsche Bahn vehicles: The DB Advanced Train Lab, a Class 605 locomotive exhibited at InnoTrans 2022, was also equipped with Guardia as part of a pilot project, along with two Class 185.2 locomotives.
Retrofitting these maintenance and track work will significantly improve the reliable and safe operation of the vehicles, as ETCS Baseline 3.6.0 offers additional operational functions compared to older ETCS versions.
The ETCSsystemis approved and in use in several European countries, including since 2021 in the new FlirtBLSlatestversion, Baseline 3.6.0, is already approved in Germany and the Netherlands.
Marc Trippel, Head of Signaling Technology at Stadler, said: “By retrofitting the infrastructure-relevant maintenance and track work vehicles, we are making an important contribution to the digital rail system in Germany.”
