The first month when trains were operated under exclusive ETCS supervision has generally met expecta5/2/2025|Press releasesAs of 1 January 2025, selected Czech rail lines will be operated exclusively under the supervision of the European Train Control System ETCS. After one month of operation, two million kilometres travelled and with 1 600 trains per day on average, ETCS is proving to operate with a reliability of over 99%. More than 30 000 trains were operated in January 2025 under ETCS supervision and the total distance travelled exceeded 2 million kilometres. After the start of exclusive operation for selected sections, an average of 1 600 trains were operating under ETCS every day. This corresponds to a monthly volume of up to 50 000 trains. Exclusive operation in the Czech Republic covers more than 600 km of main corridors. Full ETCS supervision was ensured throughout the entire journey for 99.1% of trains without any failures, which means that the reliability of the operation was at a very high level. Only 0.9% of trains had to be stopped in a preventive safety reaction, the so-called “trip”. The average time of train restarting its journey after this stop was reduced to two minutes and 51 seconds, so there were no significant operation delays. Most train stops occurred on the route near Česká Třebová. The thing is that the track sits at higher elevations and the problems were mainly related to bad weather where snow or ice played a role. Working with railway undertakings and technology suppliers, Správa železnic is optimising the system, so that these situations will not occur next winter any more. The first month of real ETCS operation has confirmed that the European signalling system is really effective in ensuring safety on the railway. It also turned our attention to areas where further adjustments and technical challenges need to be addressed. Správa železnic, together with the railway undertakings, will continue to systematically analyse the traffic and, if necessary, take further measures to ensure smooth and safe transport. ETCS works on a similar principle as modern car assistance systems: it continuously monitors the train's ride and can intervene immediately if necessary. Unlike the existing national signalling system, ETCS has an overview of the entire line ahead of the train and continuously checks that the driver complies with all restrictions and signals. If there is any threat to safety, the system automatically takes control of the train and stops it in a safe manner. Thanks to this state-of-the-art technology, it is effectively impossible to pass a red signal or exceed the speed limit.