Hitachi Rail has successfully adapted its digital interlocking product to meet German specifications and standards.
This enables the company to enter Germany’s interlocking market.
Functional and operational tests were carried out at Hitachi’s laboratory in Munich and witnessed by Deutsche Bahn and the German Federal Railway Authority.
These confirmed that the technology was compatible with German standard communication interfaces (SCIs) which interface between the interlocking and operations control centre.
This is a major milestone in Germany’s Fast Track Programme / Schnellläuferprogramm (SLP).
Its objective is to bring new digital solutions to the market in a very short time by simplifying processes and promoting close co-operation between suppliers and operators throughout.
Now the technology has been approved it be used to help DB digitise the German rail network.
Over the next 20 years it plans to upgrade the entire network’s signalling equipment with digital interlocking and ETCS as part of the Digitale Schiene Deutschland (Digital Rail Germany) programme.
Hitachi Rail will be responsible for renewing and upgrading the signalling on the Gera-Weischlitz line in Saxony, which includes seven stations across 60 kilometres of single track.
“With the SLP, we want to achieve a market expansion with higher capacities and to gather valuable knowledge for the rollout of ‘Digitale Schiene Deutschland’.
“With Hitachi Rail we have found a new partner for our programme to digitalise the German railway network. We’re looking forward to a successful cooperation.”
