Alstom has reached a new milestone with the Traxx Universal locomotive, which has been equipped with its EbiCab 2000 ETCS solution, receiving type approval for operation by the European Railway Agency (ERA).
The latest version of Alstom’s EbiCab 2000 ETCS solution; the onboard system allows for corridor-wide operations under ETCS Baseline 3, the latest standard of the European Train Control System.
The authorisation also enables the re-integration of operations in Austria, where ETCS-only operations are permitted on dual-equipped Class B lines.
Dan Kurucz, Managing Director of Alstom for Czech Republic and Slovakia, said:Cross-border traffic is very important for freight transport in Europe. With the fully approved version VR01.5, our customers can continue to operate locomotives on corridors in Germany, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia. This is an important step not only for us at Alstom, but for European rail interoperability as a whole.
The approval also represents a milestone for Czech freight operators, including RegioJet and ČD Cargo, who operate 388 series locomotives (388 201-231 for RegioJet and 388 001-026 for ČD Cargo).
Thus far, 13 TRAXX locomotives for RegioJet Pool (388 219-231) have utilised software version VR01.5, with the first six of them having been in operation on the Czech rail network since November 2024.
The remaining seven locomotives have now received official, international approval, and will gradually enter service beyond the Czech Republic.
