INFRABEL, Belgium

High speed lines:

In 2009, Infrabel realized the completion of its high speed lines network between Brussels and Germany, Brussels and The Netherlands, Brussels and France. Belgium became the first European country where its borders were connected with high-speed lines.

The high speed lines network in Belgium is composed of 4 lines. The 2 last commissioned lines were directly equipped with ETCS.

Line Brussels – France Border (line L1)

• Length of the line: 70 km
• Date of commissioning: 1995
• Line equipped with TVM (national French system). Discussions are started with SNCF Réseau to define a migration plan to ETCS.

Line Leuven-Ans (Liège) (line L2)

• Length of the line: 64 km
• Date of commissioning: 2002
• Line equipped with TBL2 (national system) which has been migrated to ETCS level 1  (300 km/h) at the end of 2017. ETCS Baseline: b2.3.0d. TBL2 has been decommissioned at the end of 2018.

Line Liège – German Border (Line L3)

• Length of the line: 42 km
• Date of commissioning: 2009
• ETCS Level used on the line: ETCS level 2 (300 km/h) with Fall back ETCS level 1 (160 km/h), without line side signalling. ETCS Baseline : 2.2.2+.

Line Anvers – Netherlands border (Line L4)

• Length of the line: 40 km
• Date of commissioning: 2007
• ETCS Level used on the line: ETCS level 2 (300 km/h) with Fall back ETCS level 1 (160 km/h), without line side signalling. ETCS Baseline : 2.2.2+.

Rail freight corridor

“Corridor 2” between Antwerp, Basel and Lyon

This freight corridor is crossing Belgium from the North (harbour of Antwerp) to the South (Arlon, at the border with France and Luxembourg). This corridor is now fully equipped with ETCS. The migration to ETCS was executed via more than 17 partial projects.

• Length of this corridor in Belgium: 450 line km, 1600 signals with ETCS
• Date of commissioning: first partial project commissioned in 17/12/2012, last partial project end 2015
• ETCS Level used on the line: ETCS level 1 Full Supervision, b2.3.0d, with lineside signalling
• This corridor includes 4 main stations with ETCS (Leuven, Antwerpen, Namur and Ottignies). Two are fully equipped with ETCS, the other two are partially equipped with ETCS (only the freight axis crossing the station)

Conventional Networks:

Part ETCS1 Full Supervision

Line 36 / 36 N between Brussels and Leuven

• Length of the line: 28 km (4 tracks)
• Date of commissioning: 03/2012
• ETCS Level used on the line: ETCS level 1 Full Supervision, b2.3.0d, (200 km/h) with lineside signalling (160 km/h)

The Diabolo railway connection and the new railway line 25N between Schaarbeek and Mechelen

• Zone around the Airport of Zaventem
• Date of commissioning: 06/2012
• ETCS Level used on the line: ETCS level 1 Full Supervision, b2.3.0d, with lineside signalling.

 Ans-Liège-Angleur

• Length of the line: +/- 15 km (with a big station)
• Date of commissioning: 12/2017
• ETCS Level used on the line: ETCS level 1 Full Supervision, b2.3.0d
• This project allows trains to run in ETCS from the German border to Brussels

Infrabel also gives priority to the main international freight axis that crosses Belgium. The installation of ETCS allows interoperability for international freight trains and increases safety of all other trains.

The Liefkenshoek rail connection.

It connects the left bank with the right bank of the Antwerp harbour with a tunnel under the Schelde:

• Length of the line: 16 km
• Date of commissioning: 12/2014
• ETCS Level used on the line: ETCS level 1 Full Supervision, b2.3.0d, with lineside signalling.

According to the ETCS Masterplan, Infrabel is continuing to roll-out ETCS1 FS on different main lines (see map here above).

Part ETCS2 Full Supervision

The deployment of ETCS2 on the conventional network has started. The first pilot line has been commissioned.

Line Diksmuide-De Panne (line 73)

• Length of the line: 30 km
• Date of commissioning: 07/2018
• ETCS Level used on the line: ETCS level 2 Full Supervision, SRS 3.4.0, with functions b2.3.0d (SV 1.X), with lineside signalling.

The roll-out has now started.

Part ETCS1 Limited Supervision

The first pilot lines of ETCS1 Limited Supervision have been commissioned at the end of 2020. A first in the EU!

Line Charleroi-Couvin (line 132-134)

• Length of the line: 59 km
• Date of commissioning: 10/2020
• ETCS Level used on the line: ETCS level 1 Limited Supervision, b3.4.0, with lineside signalling

Line Gavere-Oudenaarde (line 86)

• Length of the line: 14 km
• Date of commissioning: 10/2020
• ETCS Level used on the line: ETCS level 1 Limited Supervision, b3.4.0, with lineside signalling

Contracts

The ETCS1 Full Supervision and Limited Supervision Trackside programs are based on equipment supplied via 2 contracts: the first one launched in 2006 with Siemens (LEU/balises for 4000 signals) and the last one launched in 2011 with Alstom (LEU/balises for 4000 extra signals).

The ETCS2 deployment is ensured via a turn-key contract awarded in 2015 by Siemens. It also contains Interlocking renewing.