Trenitalia orders new generation signalling technologies from MERMEC

Monopoli, ITALY  - National train operator, Trenitalia, awarded a € 88 million contract to MERMEC, in partnership with the Italian company ECM, for the supply and installation of a new generation of onboard signalling technology. The 685 SSC/SCMT BL3 Onboard Subsystems will be installed on as many Trenitalia locomotives within the first half 2010.

This contract, that saw MERMEC Group fiercely compete with many large incumbent suppliers of signalling technologies in Italy, is part of a wider strategy pursued by FS Group and is aimed at massively strengthening the safety of the national railway. In fact, a number of new generation signalling technologies (SSC, SCMT, ERTMS) are being deployed along the entire rail network, which is 18 thousand kilometres long.
Such systems will allow automatic train protection and, as a consequence, a higher safety level in train circulation.

The SSC/SCMT BL3 Onboard Subsystem supplied by the MERMEC/ECM consortium named TESEO, has been designed to allow complete interoperability between the two ATP solutions (SSC and SCMT).

"These two signalling technologies", declares Silvano Brandi, MERMEC Group Chief Executive Officer, "requires the installation of dedicated and sophisticated electronic equipment both onboard and along the way. The proposed solution minimizes the overall necessary investment by enabling trains equipped with the SSC/SCMT BL3 Onboard Subsystem to run safely on both SSC and SCMT lines. In other words, this means the installation of only one onboard subsystem instead of two, drastically reduces the necessary footprint and CAPEX while assuring no compromise to safety".

This contract follows other sales won by the MERMEC Group in Italy during the last 4 years.
"The company entered the railway signalling market in 2004, focusing first on the Italian market and becoming a reference supplier of ATP technologies to the FS Group", says Silvano Brandi. "Today, thanks to the high quality of our portfolio and vast experience, along with important established partnerships plus the new corporate organizational structure, we are ready to grasp the big opportunity to enter the international market".

The MERMEC Group is headquartered in Italy and has subsidiaries in France (MERMEC France), USA (Imagemap), Italia (Tecnogamma), Spain (Imagemap Spain) and UK (Imagemap Railservices).
The MERMEC Group is a recognized leader and innovator in delivering world-class solutions and cutting-edge technology for railway safety.