The European transport policies place at the core of the entire system the development of railway transport which should form a single area, both in terms of infrastructure and the technology used in this field. Once implemented, the technological solutions will contribute to the interoperability of the railway transport, a factor intensively pursued by the EU authorities, for the purpose of continuing the cross-border transport. In this respect, the ERTMS implementation becomes vital; worldwide, Europe holds the highest rate for investments in the ERTMS implementation, 57.16%, followed by Asia, with 26.03%.
The main advantages of ERTMS are security and interoperability, features available for both levels (N1 and N2) and they also determine cost reductions for locomotives as regards the cross-border traffic for the border crossing time. In exchange, while for N1 the transmission is based on beacons or loops, using the existing signalling equipment, for N2 a modern signalling infrastructure is necessary. In terms of data transmission, in the case of N1the information is conveyed to the vehicle from rail signals (via adapters) and N2 is based on the signalling system, the train movements being continuously monitored (by radio block centres – RBC). While maintenance costs are reduced by eliminating track signals, N2 also presents the possibility to significantly increase the line capacity by increasing the running speed of trains-which determines several benefits (higher capacity, more trains). Also, N2 is permanently monitoring the train speed and direction, the correct route and the operating instructions.
Thus, when choosing the implementation of N1 or N2, we must consider the technical and operational status of the existing interlocking system, but also the completion of the renewal works for the line or network.
Along with N1 and N2, the rail industry develops N3, which is still in the design stage and allows the introduction of the “mobile block” technology. In the first two systems, the transport authorities are determined to use “fixed blocks” – line section between two fixed points that cannot be used by two trains at the same time. In exchange, due to N3, the continuous and correct information is conveyed by the train directly to the control centre, without the use of the detection equipment (based on the line). As the train monitors its position, there is no need for “fixed points”, the train being considered as a “mobile block”.
N3 implementation will determine the increase of transfers and the reduction of maintenance costs.
ERTMS allows the easy migration from one level to another: for example, to upgrade N1 to N2, it is necessary to install the radio network (RBC) and additional buoys for positioning. Introducing N3 allows the train to monitor and report its own integrity, eliminating the need for detecting track circuits.
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