Alstom on track for autonomous train technology trial

The trials, which will begin this year, will see a locomotive equipped with Automatic Train Operation (ATO) technology run for 100km without driver intervention from Rotterdam harbour to CUP Valburg in the east of the country.

The autonomous locomotive will travel along the Betuweroute, a 150km double-track freight line connecting Rotterdam to Germany, which is equipped with the inter-operable European signalling system ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System).

The locomotive is already equipped with an Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, which controls its speed and carries safety information on any slopes or stations on the track ahead, according to Stephen Shirlaw, operational marketing manager for Alstom Digital Mobility.

“So we are adding a secondary system, a second electronic box, which can read this information, as well as information on the driver’s schedule, such as where he should be stopping, and is connected to the braking and acceleration systems of the train,” said Shirlaw.

The technology will free the driver to focus on supervising the train journey, he said.