First Successful ERTMS Level 2 Testing in Sweden
A piece of Swedish railway history was written on 12th April when the first ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) equipped train completed its maiden voyage on the 20 km test track between Arnasvall and Husum on the Botnia Line, a completely new 190 km long railroad under construction on the north-east coast of Sweden. Bombardier is building the INTERFLO 450 signalling system on the whole line from Nyland to Gimonas, and this project, the first ERTMS Level 2 system in the Nordic area, is scheduled to be completed late 2010.

The ERTMS wayside equipment was successfully commissioned the week before the first test run. The Bombardier X1 vehicle, equipped with Bombardier's INTERFLO* 450 solution providing ERTMS Level 2 functionality, ran successfully under full supervision on the pilot line.

The purpose of the test run was to verify the GSM-R communication along the whole test track including tunnels, verify the system requirements, and to test and commission all sub systems. The speed for the test was set to a maximum of 120 km/h. All messages from the Radio Block Centre (RBC) were successfully delivered to the train and back to the RBC.

INTERFLO 450 is a radio-based solution with ERTMS Level 2 functionality for main lines. This solution comprises all the trackside products required for the line, including wayside and onboard Automatic Train Protection

Jonas Bjorkholm, Manager Traffic Control System, Botniabanan AB said: "The system functioned well during the commissioning trials and it looks promising for the forthcoming system releases and trials".

Anders Lindberg, President, Rail Control Solutions, Bombardier Transportation, added: "This landmark achievement for the first ERTMS Level 2 line in the Nordic area is the culmination of dedication and commitment by the Banverket, Botniabanan and Bombardier project teams". He added: "Bombardier has always supported ERTMS technology and the Botnia project is a rewarding project that will boost Sweden's integration into the European railway network."

Commenting on this announcement, Per Allmer, Head of Rail Control Solutions, Nordic Region, Bombardier Transportation, added: "Bombardier has supplied solutions to the Swedish national railway system since 1876, including a recent contract for ERTMS for regional lines will further increase the rail system's cost efficiency."

Bombardier's Rail Control Solutions portfolio covers the whole range of BOMBARDIER* CITYFLO* mass transit solutions, from manual to fully automatic systems, as well as communication based systems, and BOMBARDIER *INTERFLO* mainline solutions from conventional systems to ERTMS level 2 systems. Bombardier solutions embrace a complete palette of wayside and onboard products.