Saint Ouen Cedex, France – In early July, the Swiss federal railways (SBB/CFF/FFS) put ATLAS^TM, ALSTOM’s level 2 ERTMS technology, into partial commercial service on the new ‘Mattstetten – Rothrist’ line.
After the Rome-Naples line, the first very high speed line to be equipped by ALSTOM with a level 2 ERTMS system, the Mattstetten-Rothrist line represents the largest operational deployment on a conventional line, with 468 trains and 45 Km of line equipped.

The operation represented a real challenge requiring technical integration and industrial convergence between 3 different manufacturers. The fleet is made up of 10 different train references; the radio block centres (RBC) and the on-board equipment are supplied by ALSTOM, the ground beacons and the points management system by other suppliers.

A cornerstone of the Swiss ‘Bahn 2000’ project for level 2 ERTMS migration to the whole Swiss federal network, the device will allow trains to run at 200 km/h, at 2 minute intervals, instead of the present 160 km/h. Complete commercial service is planned for the end of 2006.

This development marks a further step towards the standardisation of the European rail market, which will make crossing frontiers easier, increase line operating capacity, maximise traffic safety and reduce journey times.