Doc Frank chats with Thomas Laux from Berlin in Germany. Thomas is responsible for the introduction of new technology in the second stage of the “Digitale Schiene Deutschland” ™ program. In this first part of our conversation we talk about the technology elements of the first stage which are already being implemented on parts of the German rail network, and about an important element of the second stage, namely the transition to driverless train operation.

Show notes:

1)      The official name of the program is the German term “Digitale Schiene Deutschland”. The English translation offered by Doc Frank in the introduction of Thomas is only for better understanding by the international audience of this podcast.

2)      The European Train Control System (ETCS) is hands down the most popular train control technology for mainline railways worldwide (and a main topic in this podcast episode). One of the perhaps best training courses available for ETCS has been the “ETCS Kickstarter” training which has already helped more than 200 professionals in Australia and New Zealand to boost their understanding of the European Train Control System regardless of their prior knowledge of signalling.
 The online version of this training called Understanding ETCS Fundamentals is currently being developed, and subscribers of this podcast can get a 25% discount if they sign up before 30 September 2024 at https://docfranktraining.podia.com/etcs and use the code ETCS-RC25 at checkout.

3)      CBTC and enhanced varieties of ETCS promise an increase of signalling capacity, but fulfillment falls short if not applied properly. The “High Capacity Signalling Blueprint” training teaches how it is done properly. More information here:  https://docfranktraining.podia.com/hcsblueprint