The Slovak railway infrastructure manager, Železnice Slovenskej republiky (ŽSR), has completed the project to increase capacity on the Bratislava-Rača – Leopoldov line, the busiest line in Slovakia.
The modernisation allows for a greater number of trains to run at shorter intervals and represents an important step for the development of passenger and freight rail transport in the west of the country.
The contract, worth EUR 41.8 million, was carried out by Siemens Mobility and funded through the Recovery and Resilience Plan, with the support of the Slovak Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance.
The section forms part of the main corridor linking Bratislava to Trnava, Žilina and eastern Slovakia, and is used daily by regional, inter-regional, international and freight trains. The steady increase in traffic has meant that the existing infrastructure no longer meets current requirements, which is why ŽSR decided to modernise the traffic management systems without resorting to major civil engineering works.
“Increasing the capacity of the Bratislava-Rača – Leopoldov line is essential for ensuring the train paths required by passenger and freight operators. This is a joint project between the Slovak Ministry of Transport and ŽSR, aimed at increasing the efficiency and flexibility of rail traffic management on this section of the corridor,” said Miroslav Garaj, Director-General of ŽSR.
The technical solution involved modernising the signalling systems and dividing the intervals between stations into two or three traffic blocks. This allows more trains to run simultaneously on the same section, increasing the line’s capacity without the need for physical expansion of the infrastructure.
Modernisation for heavier traffic
The project also included the modernisation of the Traffic Management Centre in Trnava, responsible for coordinating traffic between Bratislava-Rača and Nové Mesto nad Váhom. The new ILTIS N command and control system, modern transmission systems and signalling installations compatible with the future implementation of the European ETCS system were installed.
At the same time, passenger information systems and public address systems were modernised across the entire sector, new cabling infrastructure was built between Trnava and Cífer, and fibre-optic cables were installed on the Trnava–Nové Mesto nad Váhom section. The works contribute to increasing the reliability and safety of rail operations.
“The Recovery and Resilience Plan, through which Slovakia is receiving EUR 6.4 billion in European funds for investment and reforms, is also delivering tangible results for rail transport. The project to increase the capacity of the Bratislava-Rača – Leopoldov line will improve the flow of train traffic and help reduce the risk of delays, to the benefit of passengers. “Thanks to European solidarity, travelling by train in Slovakia is becoming greener, more efficient and more accessible,” said Peter Stano, Head of the European Commission’s Representation in Slovakia.
Thanks to this investment, Slovakia’s busiest railway line will benefit from increased capacity, modern traffic management technologies and the infrastructure needed to introduce more frequent and reliable services for both passenger and freight transport.
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