ADIF Becomes 8th Rail Infrastructure Manager to Join Eress

ADIF (Spain) has become the eighth rail infrastructure manager to partner with Eress – the European Partnership for Railway Energy Settlement Systems.

Eress uses a technology called Erex (Eress railway energy settlement system) to provide accurate energy metering services for trains. The system uses advanced energy meters mounted on board trains, among other components, to allow infrastructure managers to know the exact amount it should bill train operating companies. Most infrastructure managers who do not use this system have to estimate energy consumption and bill based on that.

Electric train in Norway where Eress was developed
Electric train in Norway

The Erex software now supports the development, implementation and supply of energy settlement in Spain. Eress sits on the intersection between the energy and railway sectors. With the Erex software, data is imported, secured, allocated, settled and distributed to both the infrastructure managers and train operators in line with national and international requirements.

Dyre Martin Gulbrandsen, Director, Eress, said:

“As Spain puts the Erex system into production, we see this as another major milestone for the standardisation of settling traction energy throughout Europe. The Eress organisation has been working closely with ADIF to be able to take this step into the future.

“The Eress organisation has seen continual growth recently, and the fact that Spain running its data on the Erex system again confirms that we are absolutely prepared to satisfy even the most demanding requirements.”

The Erex system is currently in use in Norway (where it was developed by the Norwegian Railway Administration Bane NOR), in Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands and in Finland. In total 6000 trains operated by 50 companies run the technology, which, in addition to providing accurate consumption figures also reduces energy consumption by up to 30 percent – this figure is based on the data on measured trips in the countries already implementing the technology.

Isabel Pardo de Vera, President, Adif, said:

“It is key for ADIF to be ready to face the new challenges that the liberalization of the passenger service will bring up.
The deadline set by the EU for the supply and invoicing of energy based on the amount of electricity effectively consumed by each train is fast approaching. Therefore, it is important for us to ensure that we will be ready to enforce a single system already implemented in 7 other European countries.
In addition, it is important for us to learn from the successful experiences in Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Netherlands and Finland that have already overcome the challenge.
We hope that the agreement we have just signed with ERESS on the 1st of January will help us succeed in our goal of implementing this system under a framework of certainty, confidence and transparency.”

The European Union requires all Member States to ensure that train operating companies can access such technology from 2020.

How Eress Makes Trains More Energy-Efficient

Bane NOR says if all European countries were to follow suit, trains could reduce their need for electric power equivalent to the consumption level of 35 million European households. Modern trains have the ability to generate electricity when they decelerate. However, currently trains are billed based on estimates, but the operator is not compensated for any electricity generated. Nor is the operator incentivised to run trains in an energy-efficient manner. Accurate metering and billing changes this.

Dyre Martin Gulbrandsen:

“The Erex technology measures the exact power consumption – and production – of each train wherever it may run in Europe. This ensures accurate electrical bills while providing the data they need to run in an energy saving way.”

Spain is the largest country to join the partnership to date.

Eress not not a commercial undertaking. It is a split-cost and non-profit partnership, open for membership to any national railway administrator in Europe.

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