THE Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) has approved the introduction of automatic train operation (ATO) at Grade of Automation 2 (GoA2) on the Waldenburg Railway, a 13km light rail line running from Liestal to Waldenburg that is operated by Baselland Transport (BLT).
GoA2 is made possible by the Nova Pro CBTC system supplied by Stadler to replace conventional lineside signalling. Once the doors are closed and the driver has authorised departure, the LRV operates automatically, complying with the speed limit and stopping the train at the precise location required. Punctuality is improved while the driver is relieved of routine tasks to supervise and intervene if necessary.
From the end of this year, BLT is planning to implement ATO at GoA4 without a driver onboard at its new depot in Waldenburg, fully automating depot operations which will be supervised from the control centre.
Signalling and train control systems have been replaced during a comprehensive upgrade of the Waldenburg Line, including conversion from 750mm to 1000mm-gauge and refurbishment of stops on the line. A fleet of 10 LRVs manufactured by Stadler at its plant in Valencia, Spain, have been in service on the line since the end of 2022.
“Train services will become more uniform, resource-efficient and energy-efficient,” says BLT chief technical officer, Philipp Glogg.
“The Waldenburg Railway will operate with even greater punctuality.”
