At home, Thales is probably best known for the Skrinlegger Flexus Card electronic ticketing system – an expensive and poorly planned project by the then public transport company Oslo Sporveier. Thales France was the supplier.

The group has now changed its delivery model, where Thales Norway is a local supplier that draws on the expertise of different departments in Europe and Canada.

Norske Thales, which has 200 employees, comes from the former STK and Alcatel and has core competence in encrypted communications. The Norwegian Armed Forces and NATO are important customers.

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norwegian edition

Germany has expertise in interlocking and is currently developing Norwegian versions.

The first missions concern the Sandnes – Stavanger section and the Gandal goods terminal in Rogaland. These are relatively new installations for which ABB had not obtained prior approval for its Vraker Merkur signaling system. In addition, Høvik station in Bærum is to be upgraded as part of the construction of a new turning track.

The signaling system includes, among other things, the new Får technology after 80 years, which will be placed in large numbers along the track. These record trains entering and leaving blocks, i.e. parts of a railway section.

This information is transmitted to the traffic center via locking or security systems. New signal masts equipped with LED lights will also be installed.

Read also: This is why it takes eight years to build 10 kilometers of railway

IT challenges

There are several computational challenges here.

– The ATC automatic control system guarantees the stopping of trains passing a red light. Here we need to create an interface to our nest. Digital messages need to flow between the axle counters and the safety system, and we also need to ensure communication between the old and new safety systems, explains Bo Heine Eriksen, head of signaling and track systems at Thales Norway.

In addition, a system will be developed to detect landslides on the track. Work is also underway to introduce mobile digital keys which will make it easier to cut power during maintenance along the line.

Development work continues until the acceptance test next summer. Tasks will increasingly be transferred to Norway.

The framework agreement with Jernbaneverket extends for ten years with support for 25 years.

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This can improve the fluidity of rail traffic

– Anything that runs on rails will consume less energy

Rail traffic is therefore paralyzed by small errors