201807 – Page & Kumar – Transforming Railways with ETCS Level 3

The needs of Railway infrastructure and Operating companies are increasingly focused on higher capacity and network utilization, with lower infrastructure costs, reduced maintenance costs and fewer service personnel.

The global success of ETCS Levels 1 and 2 is the result of a large and industry wide investment in this advanced and multi-vendor supported technology. ETCS continues to evolve as new technologies emerge and wider applications are identified. ETCS Level 3 is the next step in the evolution of ETCS.

This paper starts with what an ideal signalling system should look like in terms of safety, reliability, reduced wayside infrastructure and ease of deployment both on Greenfield and Brownfield railways. It also considers the scalability, adaptability and advanced functions required.

The paper examines the traditional solutions and systems from this perspective and then focusses on ETCS and the journey to ETCS Level 3. It considers several options for implementation, from pure ETCS Level 3 through to Hybrid ETCS Level 3.

Finally, the paper looks at the significance of ETCS Level 3 for Australian Railways