The Office of Rail & Road (ORR) has granted authorisation under the UK Railway Operability Regulations (as amended) to 21 CAF Class 197 Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) fitted with CAF Signalling’s Onboard ETCS at Baseline 3 Release 2 and GSM-R Baseline 1 for operation in ETCS Level 2 and below.
This significant achievement follows the authorisation of non-ETCS fitted Class 197 Units in January 2022 and is the eighth authorisation, to date, to have been granted to CAF in the UK during the last six years. Authorisation having been previously awarded to vehicles manufactured for Caledonian Sleeper Ltd, Northern Rail, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.
The successful authorisation of these units and their onboard ETCS system is as a result of close cooperation with the ORR, the Department for Transport and the different assessment bodies as new regulations and standards following Brexit have come into force in the UK, during the course of the project. An open and pragmatic approach was maintained between the parties to deliver the evidence and certification in accordance with the project programme.
This achievement is also the result of close collaborative team working internally, between CAF SA, CAF Rolling Stock UK and CAF Signalling resulting in CAF’s first onboard ETCS system to be approved in the UK.
These units will operate on the Cambrian Line route from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The Cambrian Line having been the UK’s first ERTMS enabled route, recently upgraded by Network Rail To improve capacity, reliability and passenger experience.
Paul Simmons, CAF’s Head of UK Approvals said: “We are immensely proud of this significant achievement, another key approval granted to CAF in the UK and our first ETCS authorisation. Personal thanks go to our colleagues in the ORR, DfT, TfW, Network Rail and our assessment bodies who have all worked together to deliver this at a time of changing regulations and standards.”
Photo credit: CAF
