en.Wedoany.com Report on Mar 28th, A consortium comprising Siemens Mobility and Sonda México SA de CV has recently been awarded a contract to install a European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 1 signaling system on the 300 km railway corridor between Mexico City, Querétaro, and Irapuato in the Latin American country of Mexico. The project involves equipping 11 passenger stations and is part of Mexico's Federal Passenger Railway Infrastructure Modernization Plan. This contract marks Siemens Mobility's first ETCS project in Mexico.

The contract scope includes the supply and installation of trackside ETCS Level 1 equipment, an operations control center with a backup system, and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. Siemens Mobility will also provide the TPS.plan train dispatching software developed by HaCon, while Sonda México is responsible for telecommunications components, the CCTV system, and related civil works.

While Mexico's national railway plan mentions adopting the more advanced ETCS Level 2 technology, this project has opted for ETCS Level 1. ETCS Level 2 uses a continuous radio link (GSM-R) for communication, enabling higher speeds and capacity, whereas ETCS Level 1 relies on intermittent data transmission from trackside balises. The choice of ETCS Level 1 is likely based on a strategy to modernize existing infrastructure more quickly and cost-effectively, reserving the more complex Level 2 technology for future high-speed or high-density lines.

This contract establishes a significant foothold for Siemens Mobility in Mexico's railway modernization process. The application of ETCS Level 1 technology focuses on establishing a modern safety and control benchmark, balancing budget, deployment speed, and long-term performance requirements. Unlike the previously postponed high-speed rail project, this initiative focuses on upgrading passenger services on existing conventional railway corridors.