SWITZERLAND: Basel area public transport operator Baselland Transport has awarded
Stadler Rail a contract to equip its suburban tram network with the NOVA Pro communication-based train control system as part of a plan to progressively automate operations.
This follows deployment of Nova Pro on the 13 km standalone Waldenburgerbahn, where BLT recently introduced GoA2 semi-automated operation. The driver gives the instruction to start and the light rail vehicle then proceeds fully automatically, with the CBTC regulating the speed, activating level crossings and bringing the LRV to a precise stop at the stations.
Expansion of Nova Pro to the more complex Basel network ‘is the next logical step’, said Reto Rotzler, Chief Infrastructure Officer at BLT, when the contract was announced on April 10.
BLT owns five suburban tram lines in the Basel area and operates four of them, with the remaining line being operated by the municipal transport company. BVB also runs the urban network which is shared with BLT services.
Nova Pro’s ‘high availability and safety make it ideally suited to light rail applications such as S-Tram Route 17 in the Leimental region’, said Rotzler. ‘Thanks to its scalable automation, Nova Pro offers long-term usability and investment security.’
BLT plans to progressively equip its fleet of 38 Stadler Tango and 25 Tina trams with Nova Pro. Initial testing is scheduled to begin on Route 11 in 2027, followed by a phased rollout across the network. Communication between the onboard and trackside systems will be handled by public 4G/5G mobile networks.
Silvio Gemperli, Head of Stadler’s Swiss signalling Business Unit, said the project represents ‘another important milestone’ in a long-standing Collaboration with the operator. ‘BLT is far more than a customer to us; it is a close strategic partner’, he said, ‘The success of the Waldenburgerbahn clearly demonstrates the potential of Nova Pro. Together, we are developing the network step by step and setting new standards in reliability, automation and innovation, helping to shape the next digitalised generation of rail transport.’