At InnoTrans 26 in Berlin, Germany, Škoda Group announced that railway networks in 22 European countries can now deploy its RailOS digital signalling platform.

The RailOS signalling platform combines the European Train Control System (ETCS) with train protection systems used in individual countries, known as Class B systems. The latest deployment now includes the German PZB train protection system. RailOS provides a low-risk and cost-effective transition to ETCS, as it can be retrofitted to existing vehicles, as well as fitted to new trains.

The Signalling Company (TCS), which is part of Škoda Group, is currently supplying RailOS to the Belgian freight operator Lineas and its HLD77 locomotive fleet.

At the heart of the system is a universal iEVC-RailOS digital railway platform, which combines modular onboard hardware with software applications to enable it to use a common platform that will function on both ETCS and national train protection systems.

By using a common platform, functionality can be implemented with software applications and upgrades, thereby simplifying vehicle upgrades, the transition to ETCS, and avoiding the need to replace the core onboard hardware platform when adding more signalling applications.

The RailOS digital signalling platform was demonstrated by TSC for the first time at InnoTrans in 2024, where it presented a system that had been certified for operation on Belgium’s railways. Since then, the system has rapidly developed, ETCS certification has been obtained, and it is being deployed in Lineas’s fleet of 109 HLD77 locomotives, with around 50 % already upgraded.

The technology is also being developed for installation in new Škoda Group vehicles and for deployment in Automatic Train Operation (ATO) over ETCS, with this now ready for trial running.

InnoTrans 2026 also provided an ideal opportunity for Škoda Group to demonstrate a battery-electric multiple unit zero-emission train.

“We are excited to be at the forefront of a new approach to onboard ETCS that is fully aligned with the objectives of European and international railway directives. At InnoTrans 2024, we announced the launch of our digital signalling platform certified for Belgium. Since then, the platform has obtained ETCS certification, the modernisation of Lineas’s fleet of 109 HLD77 locomotives is 50% complete, and we are introducing the platform across all our new trains for the Czech Republic and other markets. We are now also adding German PZB and ATO over ETCS, with both solutions already available for trial operation. This is an exceptional achievement in just twenty-four months, and we look forward to further developing the platform and entering new markets as ETCS continues to expand worldwide.”

Petr Novotný, CEO, Škoda Group