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A new project will consider if magnetic technology could increase train performance, boost capacity, and eco-friendliness, with trains that could travel up to 550km/h
A MAJOR STEP FOR THE AUTONOMOUS TRAIN PROJECT
Two years after the launch in 2018 of a consortium to develop the prototype of an autonomous train, a Prima BB 27000 locomotive ran in partial autonomy on the national rail network between Longwy and Longuyon, in eastern France, on a line equipped with the European signalling system ERTMS, under the supervision of a driver.
The consortium, consisting of Alstom, Altran (a company of the Capgemini Group), Apsys, Hitachi Rail, Railenium and SNCF, carried out all the steps that made this important trial possible: from the design to the description of the computer systems, cabling and software programming. As a result of this work, to which nearly a hundred people from all the partner companies contributed, the schedule announced in 2018 has been met and the ambition for 2020 achieved.