French group Systra has won a contract in Taiwan for the independent safety assessment of automatic train control (ATC) systems installed on high-speed trains in operation. The project marks the first collaboration between Systra and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in the rail sector.
The contract covers Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) activities, the process of independently assessing the safety of railway systems, for onboard ATC equipment, which is currently being upgraded on Taiwan’s high-speed trains.
MHI, the manufacturer of the Shinkansen trains used as a technological reference, has developed a new generation of ATC based on the N700S platform, which is in operation in Japan.
Systra’s role is to verify the compliance of the new equipment with reliability, availability, safety, and maintainability (RAMS) requirements, as well as with European standards EN 50126 and EN 50128.
French-Japanese collaboration on a modernization project
The project marks the beginning of a collaboration between the French group and the Japanese conglomerate in the context of the modernization of Taiwan’s high-speed network.
According to Systra, the company’s experience in independent certification and system assurance was a key factor in the contract award process.
“This project is important for Systra Taiwan because it allows us to collaborate with a major industrial player in the island’s high-speed network during a modernization phase,” said Victoria Chen, Managing Director of Systra Taiwan, highlighting the potential for expanding cooperation with MHI to other projects in Asia.
Continuity in the Taiwanese rail market
Systra was previously involved in the development of Taiwan’s high-speed network between 1990 and 2007, participating in stages such as planning, feasibility studies, and verification of technical infrastructure specifications.
The company also served as Independent Checking Engineer (ICE) and Independent Site Engineer (ISE) for the certification and commissioning of the network on behalf of the concessionaire Taiwan High Speed Railway Corp..
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