To accelerate the rollout of the European Train Control System (ETCS), Deutsche Bahn (DB), Stadler, and its engineering joint venture AngelStar have, for the first time, equipped locomotives with the system without any involvement from the locomotive manufacturer.

In the coming years. around 13,000 locomotives and multiple units in Germany will need to be retrofitted for ETCS, there is a potential bottleneck the capacity of manufacturers to retrofit the necessary equipment is limited. The retrofits will be needed because an increasing number of railway lines require the use of ETCS-fitted locomotives.

Two DB Cargo locomotives were chosen for retrofitting using Stadler’s GUARDIA Baseline 3.4.0 ETCS automatic train protection system, which was the first time that DB locomotives from the 185.2 series had been retrofitted with Stadler’s ETCS system.

Before the first locomotive received its re-approval as “First of Class”, a considerable amount of particularly complex pioneering work was required. However, official approval of the second locomotive was more straightforward as it had converted in the same way. Also, as it was considered to be structurally identical to the first one, it was awarded “Conformity to Type” status, leading the way for all future retrofits performed in the same manner to be referred back to this model.

Ansgar Brockmeyer, Head of the Sales & Marketing Division and Deputy Group CEO of Stadler, said “Stadler has deliberately broken new ground with this retrofit project in order to simplify the retrofitting of modern signalling technology in existing vehicles. With this innovation, we can create the urgently needed capacity in the rail industry to transport the large number of existing vehicles in Europe into the digital future.”

Hans Peter Lang, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at DB Group and Chairman of the Management Board of DB Systemtechnik, explains: “Equipping lines and vehicles with ETCS technology that is standardised across Europe is the basis for the further digitalisation of railway operations.

“This will create more capacity for travel and freight transport by rail. The fact that Stadler and AngelStar, DB Cargo and DB Systemtechnik have now together succeeded in retrofitting ETCS without the involvement of the vehicle manufacturer opens up new paths and strengthens competition. This will significantly facilitate the ETCS roll-out for the entire industry in Germany.”

Manuel Ayala, Project Manager at Stadler Signalling, says: “This innovation partnership means that Stadler is now able to equip vehicles made by other manufacturers with its own system without their involvement. This is not only of great importance for rail transport in Germany, but will also smooth the way for new opportunities in other market regions. We would like to thank Deutsche Bahn for the trust they have placed in us and look forward to continuing our successful collaboration.”

Oliver Kaiser, COO of AngelStar, is delighted: “In the course of this challenging retrofit project, we were once again able to demonstrate the quality and flexibility of the GUARDIA system. Along with the agile organisation, these are the best possible prerequisites for further retrofit projects.”