DENMARK: All trains on the Roskilde – Køge – Næstved line in Sjælland began operating using ETCS Level 2 with effect from August 3, after infrastructure manager Banedanmark commissioned the next phase of its national Signalling Programme.
The secondary route between Roskilde and Køge had been fitted with ETCS Level 2 in December 2019 as the Early Deployment Line testbed for the Fjernbane Øst contract covering the eastern part of the national network.
The route has now been converted completely to ETCS operation, along with the adjacent section from Køge to Næstved on the Ringsted – Rødby main line. Services on both lines had been suspended for from July 24 to facilitate the final testing and commissioning of the train control system, along with the removal of the life-expired conventional signalling.
Noting that Denmark had been one of the first countries in Europe to commit to rolling out ERTMS across its entire network, Signalling Programme Director Thilde Restofte Pedersen said the conversion would give the Roskilde – Køge – Næstved route ‘a strong technological lift’, helping to ensure more reliable operation.
Baseline 3 compliant lineside equipment for the Fjernbane Øst programme is being supplied by Alstom under a contract awarded in January 2012. The manufacturer was also awarded a separate contract to provide its Atlas onboard equipment for all trains operating on the Danish network.
Although the Signalling Programme is running behind the original delivery schedule, the project team estimated that commissioning of the Køge – Næstved scheme brings the total length of line in Denmark equipped with ETCS Level 2 to almost 300 route-km, while onboard equipment has been fitted to more than 150 trainsets. Meanwhile, Siemens Trainguard CBTC is now operational on almost half of the København S-bane network.
