Siemens Mobility has been awarded a €1.3 billion contract to digitise signal interlocking on Austria’s national railway network, ÖBB.

The contract is part of a long-term framework agreement worth €2.6 billion, and using its Signaling X infrastructure, Siemens will integrate signal interlocking with Electronic Train Control Systems (ETCS), safety technology, and cybersecurity. The initial rollout to trial the system is planned for the fourth quarter of 2030.

Signalling X is a software-based, cloud-ready architecture that provides the foundation for the digitisation of signalling and control systems. It will remove the interdependence of software and hardware during upgrading signalling on ÖBB’s rail network. This will enable greater operational flexibility, significantly increase capacity, and improve the reliability of the rail network.

The framework agreement covers all of the network’s signalling, indoor systems that run on standard IT servers, and outdoor infrastructure. An initial ten-year contract includes a comprehensive maintenance agreement to provide technical support, maintenance, and ensure maximum system availability over the system’s planned 25-year lifecycle.

Implementation will be through a structured, multi-stage process, with trials of the first phase beginning in 20230, followed by further pilot phases to deploy the system across the entire rail network.

Earlier this month, Siemens started trials of its Signaling X platform on tram routes in Rostock, Germany, and is incorporating it in upgrading Copenhagen’s S-bane network in Denmark for driverless operation.

“We are proud to partner with ÖBB in shaping the future of Austria’s rail network. At the heart of this transformation is Signaling X, our software-based and cloud-ready technology for the next generation of signalling and control systems. It intelligently moves interlocking logic into centralised data centres, thereby digitising rail operations from the ground up. What we successfully began in 2020 with the pilot project in Achau, we are now bringing this solution, or “it”, into nationwide application together. By doing so, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG is taking an international pioneering role and creating the foundation for increased capacity, maximum reliability, and a sustainable and more resilient rail operation in Austria.”

Michael Peter, CEO, Siemens Mobility