Digital signalling to be installed on 35km Voluyak - Dragoman line.
Photo Credit: Hitachi Rail
HITACHI Rail, in consortium with Bulgarian electrical engineering company Cerb, has been awarded a contract by Bulgarian infrastructure manager NRIC to install ERTMS on a 35km section of main line.
The double-track section runs from Voluyak in the suburbs of the capital Sofia to Dragoman on the border with Serbia. The contract includes the deployment of ETCS Level 1 trackside technology and GSM-R communications. The project will be delivered over 34 months, with completion expected at the same time as NRIC’s broader upgrade of the line.
Hitachi will lead the consortium, taking charge of t…
Digital signalling to be installed on 35km Voluyak - Dragoman line.
Photo Credit: Hitachi Rail
HITACHI Rail, in consortium with Bulgarian electrical engineering company Cerb, has been awarded a contract by Bulgarian infrastructure manager NRIC to install ERTMS on a 35km section of main line.
The double-track section runs from Voluyak in the suburbs of the capital Sofia to Dragoman on the border with Serbia. The contract includes the deployment of ETCS Level 1 trackside technology and GSM-R communications. The project will be delivered over 34 months, with completion expected at the same time as NRIC’s broader upgrade of the line.
Hitachi will lead the consortium, taking charge of the design, delivery, installation, and commissioning of the ETCS system. It will also coordinate with Cerb to manage local installation activities and oversee the turnkey implementation of the GSM-R system.
The upgrade enhances a critical cross-border section west of Sofia, improving speed and interoperability on the route to Serbia. As part of the European Union’s (EU) strategic TEN-T West Balkans - East-Med Corridor, the project strengthens Bulgaria’s role as a key transit country between Central and southeastern Europe.
“In combination with our previous ERTMS deployments, the Voluyak - Dragoman section helps complete a modernised, interoperable rail corridor linking the Serbian border, Sofia, the Black Sea and the Turkish border, supporting more efficient freight flows and reliable international passenger services across the region,” says Manfred Zekl, head of branch, Bulgaria, at Hitachi Rail.
To date, Hitachi, including companies now part of the group, such as Ansaldo and Thales, has delivered over 250km of ETCS Level 1 trackside systems, more than 100 ETCS onboard units, electronic interlockings, a centralised traffic control (CTC) centre and multiple field elements across Bulgaria.