dowlingm
Senior Member
if VIA will be equipping Corridor trains with ETCS gear, wouldn’t that get some of the expense out of the way for deploying the same tech on their own trackage?
if VIA will be equipping Corridor trains with ETCS gear, wouldn’t that get some of the expense out of the way for deploying the same tech on their own trackage?
I dont think thats true, notice how alstom is suspiciously missing from the RFP's?If QConnexiON manages to win the ViaFast tender, making Deutsche Bahn the operator, its likely that ETCS will be deployed in that corridor as well. If Cadence wins then they wouldn't bother as no company in that group has experience with it.
Yes but only a small proportion of the total expense of adding a new signalling system. However, if their trains are already ETCS-equipped then that would certainly encourage them to select ETCS if they're looking for a new system, not just to avoid of the cost of maintaining two sets of onboard equipment, but also to reduce training requirements and potentially reduce the number of signal system transitions along the route.if VIA will be equipping Corridor trains with ETCS gear, wouldn’t that get some of the expense out of the way for deploying the same tech on their own trackage?
ETCS L1 only makes sense as an overlay onto existing signalling. For new-build lines, or lines where the existing signalling is at end-of-life, ETCS L2 is cheaper (as it requires less lineside equipment).Given the above, maybe Via would be interested in ETCS L1 on Via-owned lines, since it gives them the speed and safety improvements while being simpler than L2 and potentially cheaper for installations such as Via where block lengths are quite long.
Given that a lot of Via's current signalling was built after 2008, I don't imagine there's much equipment at end of life yet, so L1 might still a more economical option for them. Also since they still need to maintain access for CN using lineside signals.ETCS L1 only makes sense as an overlay onto existing signalling. For new-build lines, or lines where the existing signalling is at end-of-life, ETCS L2 is cheaper (as it requires less lineside equipment).