Indra and Lithuanian Railways to collaborate in the development of a pioneering digital signalling interlocking
The CEO of LTG Infra, a Lithuanian Railways company, and Indra's General Manager of Mobility, Raul Ripio, have signed at Indra's stand at Innotrans, the world's leading railway event, an agreement of intent by which they commit to explore the joint development of a pioneering digital interlocking system, a key part of the most advanced railway signalling systems.
The objective of this agreement is to explore the possibility of jointly developing an open, standards-based digital interlocking system compatible with the European ERTMS level 2 signalling system, which will improve safety and efficiency and facilitate the harmonisation of such systems in Europe, thereby improving network connectivity and advancing the creation of a single European railway area.
‘LTG Infra's commitment to early adoption of the most innovative technology has allowed us to successfully implement our most advanced railway solutions in the country. With this new agreement, we want to go a step further with a cutting-edge joint development that lays the foundations to promote an initiative that other European rail infrastructure managers could join in the future, replicating the success achieved with the air traffic management technology developed by Indra,’ said Raúl Ripio, general manager of Indra's Mobility division.
Vytis Zalimas of LTG Infra explained that ‘this innovative system will reduce the amount of equipment and the cost of maintaining, operating and upgrading signalling systems, significantly reduce installation costs, standardise engineering processes and democratise access to the signalling solution for any system integrator or installer. The new solution will meet today's digital information and cybersecurity requirements and reduce the dependence on manufacturers for these types of systems’.
Indra has been a technology partner of Lithuanian Railways for the modernisation of its nearly 2,000 km network for more than a decade. It has implemented its traffic management technology (TMS), as well as its signalling and telecommunications technology, integrating both in the control centre of the country's National Rail Traffic Centre. Within the framework of this last railway safety project, Indra was able to apply electronic ‘intelligence’ to the country's electromechanical interlockings.
Innovative technology for the railway
Indra has become one of the leading technology companies in the railway sector thanks to its commitment to innovation. Its state-of-the-art end-to-end technology solutions have been or are being implemented in Spain, Ireland, Estonia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Australia, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, India or the Netherlands, as well as Lithuania, among many other countries.
For example, Indra's railway management system (TMS) has continued to strengthen its position as the most advanced system currently in operation, and has been chosen in recent years to manage the Irish and Estonian railway networks, in addition to controlling the entire Spanish railway network, the Mecca-Medina high-speed line in Saudi Arabia and the Lithuanian network, among others. In terms of railway safety, Indra has also carried out important deployments in Spain and Lithuania.
