Skip to main content

Thales to deliver signalling system for southern Gotthard extension

Following completion of the Gotthard tunnel, AlpTransit Gotthard has awarded Thales a US$64 million (€57 million) signalling contract for the new Ceneri tunnel, the final section of the transalpine rail corridor that will link Zurich and Milan in less than three hours journey time. Located 25 km south of the Gotthard tunnel, the Ceneri Base Tunnel between Bellinzona and Lugano in Switzerland is 15.4 km long and, like the Gotthard tunnel, comprises two single-track tubes separated by a space of 40 metres
September 19, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Following completion of the Gotthard tunnel, AlpTransit Gotthard has awarded 596 Thales a US$64 million (€57 million) signalling contract for the new Ceneri tunnel, the final section of the transalpine rail corridor that will link Zurich and Milan in less than three hours journey time.

Located 25 km south of the Gotthard tunnel, the Ceneri Base Tunnel between Bellinzona and Lugano in Switzerland is 15.4 km long and, like the Gotthard tunnel, comprises two single-track tubes separated by a space of 40 metres.

Thales will provide its latest ETCS Level 2 train control technology and will have overall responsibility for project management and integration of train command and control systems. The tunnel is scheduled to open in 2020.

Thales’ signalling technology is expected to reduce the journey time between Locarno and Lugano from today's 55 minutes to 22 minutes, with more than 300 trains travelling in both directions every day at speeds of up to 250 km/h.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Thales delivers automated train control systems to Santiago de Chile
    November 8, 2017
    Thales has supplied its driverless train control system: Seltrac CBTC solution for Santiago de Chile’s new metro lines 3 and 6. The technology aims to ensure safety and efficiency across the entire route, with a 90 second interval between trains as well as lower long-term operating costs and savings in traction power. Launched on 2 November 2017, the new metro line 6 aims to carry over 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Together, both lines will have a combined length of 37km, with 28 station
  • Monitoring, detection and control systems inside tunnels can do much to improve traveller safety
    August 6, 2013
    ITS technology can do a great deal to improve tunnel safety, as Colin Sowman discovers. It was back in April 2004 that the European Parliament adopted the EU Directive which lays down the Minimum Safety Requirements for Tunnels in the Trans-European Road Network (2004/54/EC). This was the first unitary legislation setting minimum safety standards for European road tunnels and was designed to harmonise the management of tunnel safety at a national level. Operators of existing tunnels have until 30 April 201
  • Colombia awards major traffic management contract to Indra
    May 8, 2014
    Colombian highway concessionaire Coviandes has awarded Indra the contract, worth nearly US$35 million, for the design, installation and start-up of the intelligent traffic systems (ITS) the control and communications systems for 45 kilometres of the Bogota-Villavicencio highway in Colombia.
  • Rapid growth of bus rapid transit schemes on US Pacific coast
    January 27, 2012
    This section pulls together all the multi-modal topics in each issue. Subject matter will include smartcards; ticketing and payment systems; passenger information systems; fleet management for buses, trains and light rail; park and ride systems; on-line access to real-time information via Internet portals