Hector Rail and the Swedish Rail Administration have signed an agreement for leasing of a locomotive to the Swedish Rail Administration. The locomotive is being leased to the Swedish Rail Administration for testing on the Bothnia Line. The Bothnia Line is the first railway in Sweden to be equipped with the new European traffic control system ERTMS. Hector Rail is purchasing an additional 142-locomotive from ÖBB Traktion (the Austrian railway) for this purpose. With this purchase, Hector Rail will have nine locomotives of this type at its disposal.
The new European traffic control system ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) can be configured on three levels. Level 2 is being installed on the Bothnia Line, which among other things entails that there are no fixed signals along the tracks. All signalling information is presented for locomotive drivers on a display in the driver’s compartment. One purpose of this system is that it will eventually permit a single common system throughout Europe and make cross border traffic easier.
Before ERTMS is put into service on the Bothnia Line, the Swedish Rail Administration is planning extensive test runs. This is why the locomotive is being leased from Hector Rail. The locomotive being purchased from ÖBB Traktion will have the ERTMS system installed prior to delivery, without the locomotive having ever been equipped with a standard Swedish signalling system (ATC).
