23 Apr 2025

Czech Republic: Reference Train at Railway Test Centre Velim Drives Innovations

Rolling Stock 2 minute read

The fully equipped ETCS reference vehicle at the Railway Test Centre Velim accelerates the adoption of innovative railway technologies. By using our test ETCS onboard system as a benchmark, we are proud to drive efficiency in validating new systems and delivering impactful solutions.

Hannes Boyer

VP Mainline Signaling - Hitachi Rail

Challenge

The Railway Test Centre Velim in the Czech Republic, operated by VUZ (Výzkumný Ústav Železniční a.s.), offers a unique facility for testing and certifying railway vehicles and technology under controlled conditions prior to commercial deployment. As one of the largest test circuits in Europe, it is widely used for testing not only of high-speed trains and the European Train Control System (ETCS), including Hitachi Rail’s ETR 1000. Railway testing and validation is a complex and time-consuming process, requiring extensive setup and configuration to ensure the testing and certification procedure is completed as efficiently as possible.

Solution

At the end of 2024, VUZ introduced a reference electric locomotive 124 601-6 at the Railway Test Centre Velim, equipped with a fully integrated test ETCS onboard system. This provides a standardized baseline for ETCS testing and validation.

Hitachi Rail equipped this loco with its ETCS onboard solution for verification of the operation, compliant with the latest standards, allowing new systems to be directly compared against a known, operational setup. By utilizing this reference vehicle, testing teams at the Velim Test Centre can immediately verify performance, identify discrepancies, and streamline approval processes.

Impact

With the reference vehicle in place, VUZ facilitates faster, more efficient, and more reliable ETCS tests at the Railway Test Centre Velim. The ability to benchmark new systems against a proven configuration accelerates certification, enabling railway manufacturers and operators to reduce costs and bring innovations to market more rapidly.