ETCS: exclusive operation of the higher safety level of Czech railways starts6/2/2025|Press releases1 803 trains equipped with ETCS, 3 500 trained drivers and 110 km of lines. With these numbers, the Czech railway enters a new era: the exclusive operation of the European Train Control System ETCS, which has been monitoring traffic on a total of 622 km of main lines in the Czech Republic since 1 January and will gradually start controlling traffic in the following weeks of January. ETCS can automatically stop or slow down a train if the driver made a mistake. "After two years of the final phase of intensive testing, system fine-tuning, preparations by railway undertakings and on the infrastructure, and after gathering information from the exclusive test operation on the Moravian line between Olomouc and Uničov, we finally have a moment when this widespread introduction of a higher level of safety on the Czech railway has started. Starting in January 2025, more than 600 kilometres of the busiest rail lines will be equipped with the full version of ETCS. As of 1 January, more than 100 km of the busiest lines in the Czech Republic between Přerov and Česká Třebová will be the first," says transport minister Martin Kupka. The Ministry of Transport decided in 2017 that the Czech Republic needs a unified, comprehensive and human-independent traffic control system. Since then, Správa železnic, all railway undertakings, the Ministry of Transport and suppliers of technology for locomotives and the track side of the system have been preparing together for the introduction of exclusive operation. The Ministry of Transport supported the railway undertakings in equipping locomotives with so-called on-board units, which are part of the ETCS system, in the amount of approximately CZK 7.7 billion. The total cost of launching the system on more than 4,000 km of domestic lines by 2030 can be estimated at approximately CZK 32 billion. "The introduction of ETCS is one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the Czech railway, not only in terms of technical complexity and costs. I would therefore like to acknowledge the efforts of the thousands of people from various professions who have been involved in the preparations over the last decade," says Jiří Svoboda, Director General of Správa železnic. The European signalling system will now oversee around 50,000 trains per month. Initially, this will be mainly on the key sections of the main corridors, which account for more than 42% of the operating performance of trains on the network of Správa železnic. On the busy regional line between Olomouc and Uničov, exclusive ETCS operation has been in place for two years already. "The 3,500 drivers, now trained, means that the railway undertakings have covered their current needs and are able to start exclusive operations on schedule. Training is of course continuing," says Jiří Kolář, Director of the Railway Authority, about the launch of the new signalling system. ETCS is a single European Train Control System that takes over control and slows or stops the train in the event of a safety risk. This typically happens in a situation where the driver overlooks a red signal. The system connects on-board units and sensors on the locomotive with sensors by the track (clearly visible yellow rectangles on sleepers) and poles along the lines. It continuously evaluates what is happening on the track and automatically sets the maximum speed the train can safely travel at that moment. It also maintains the distance from other vehicles or trains on the same track. Put simply, ETCS on railways works in much the same way as adaptive cruise control in cars: they will both stop the train/car before the next vehicle in the traffic jam without human intervention. The introduction of mandatory operation of all trains under the supervision of this system will significantly improve safety on the line. ETCS will however bring even more benefits such as the increase in capacity of the lines and, on selected sections, driving at higher speeds. This uniform system will also make it unnecessary to change locomotives at national borders, allowing smoother international traffic. "ETCS is quite a complex instrument linking locomotives, tracks and the track surroundings. Despite the careful, long-term preparation and gradual ramp-up of the system, we are aware that situations can and probably will arise, especially in the first period after 1 January, which may lead to train stopping or delays. We have procedures in place for this and I want the impact on passengers and other customers to be as small as possible. But the train can also stop as a result of the system fulfilling its function. After all, this is a signalling device," adds minister Kupka. The introduction of exclusive operation under the supervision of ETCS on selected sections of Corridor I and II and the connecting branch between Přerov and Česká Třebová will be followed from 8 January by the line between Břeclav and Bohumín. A week later, the line from Česká Třebová via Adamov and Modřice to Břeclav will follow and finally, from 22 January, the line between Praha-Běchovice, Pardubice and Česká Třebová will be connected as well, thus linking the entire main train connection between between Bohemia and Moravia. For more information on the operation of the ETCS system see the website of Správa železnic and its December press release. Using the press release of Správa železnic.