Sprucing up railway networks

SIEMENS WILL PROVIDE advanced signaling and telecommunications technology for India's first bullet train project, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor.

- SUDHIR CHOWDHARY

It will deploy European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2-based signaling and train control systems that enable higher train speeds, improved capacity, and enhanced safety through real-time monitoring and centralized traffic control. Siemens technologies will be designed to support train operations at speeds up to 350 km/h, enabling real-time train supervision, continuous wireless communication, and centralized traffic management.

The German multinational conglomerate's offerings are also finding an imprint on the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, considered as one of India's most challenging infrastructure initiatives. The technologies deployed include ROCS (rigid overhead catenary system), ideal for mountainous terrain, and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), which enables real-time monitoring and control of electrified assets along the route and enables predictive maintenance and improved system availability. There's also a full suite of electrification infrastructure technologies designed for high performance in extreme conditions—snow, landslides, and steep gradients.