The national Belgian railway (SNCB) has chosen Transurb for the upgrade of its 51 simulators across Belgium with European Train Control System (ETCS) level 2, including two full-scale and 49 compact simulators.

Historically, an initial batch of 35 simulators was delivered more than 15 years ago to get drivers acquainted with train driving, train protection system and troubleshooting.

Later, 50 simulators were used to educate drivers to ETCS level 1. With the arrival of ETCS level 2 on the Belgian network, SNCB has decided to call on Transurb’s expertise.

With this upgrade, SNCB will be able to address its new training needs and familiarize drivers with ETCS level 2 and GSM-R Baseline 1 (2.3.0.d.), level transitions and the GSM-R communication system.

Thousands of drivers and trainees will be educated and certified on these simulators each year. SNCB will also benefit from our latest innovations in the field of rail training, such as the ERTMS Editor Tool, an intuitive tool allowing for quick editing / creation of ETCS exercises directly by the client and without Transurb intervention.

Along with this order, the reproduction of the Brussels Airport-Leuven line (36/36N) provided with the simulators will be completely updated with Transurb’s new and improved computer-generated imagery technologies to give drivers an increased feeling of immersion. An extension of the line will also be delivered as part of the project.

This upgrade is being carried out in the framework of a fruitful partnership with SNCB, which Transurb has had the pleasure of collaborating with for more than 20 years.

It also demonstrates and reinforces Transurb’s position as a major player in the field of simulation dedicated to ERTMS Training, after projects in Morocco (ONCF), Finland (KRAO), Denmark (Alstom), France (Euro Cargo Rail), Hungary (MAV Start), Australia (TfNSW) and more.