The agreements cover indoor and outdoor interlocking components and a 25-year service agreement, and are intended to underpin the phased replacement of existing interlocking systems across Austria’s rail network.
ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG has awarded framework agreements for new Digital Interlockings (DSTW) to Siemens Mobility and Hitachi Rail, with a combined total contract value of approximately €2.6 billion.
The awards follow a multi-year competitive tendering process based on the best-value principle. ÖBB-Infrastruktur described the procedure as one of the most significant railway signalling procurement processes of recent decades, and said the agreements lay the foundation for the gradual digitalisation of signalling technology in Austria.
Scope of the framework agreements
The tender covers both the indoor and outdoor components of the digital interlockings. The indoor components are where the safety-critical interlocking logic is executed, while the outdoor components include Object Controllers, which are used to control signals, switches and other safety-critical elements of the railway infrastructure.
The framework agreement has a minimum term of ten years. In addition, a comprehensive service agreement covering the entire 25-year lifecycle of the systems has been concluded. It includes support and maintenance services to ensure technical assistance, system upkeep and availability throughout that period.
ÖBB-Infrastruktur said the new generation of Digital Interlockings will enable advanced digital solutions, meet stringent cybersecurity requirements and provide protection against cyberattacks.
Peter Hanke, Federal Minister for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure, said: “With Digital Interlockings, we are investing in the backbone of our railway network. EUR 2.6 billion for modern digital signalling technology means greater reliability and punctuality. However, the digitalisation of critical infrastructure also means responsibility: we are focusing on cybersecurity and technological sovereignty.”
EUR 2.6 billion for modern digital signalling technology means greater reliability and punctuality.”
Phased rollout with pilot operation from 2030
Implementation will take place in phases. The first pilot project is scheduled to enter operation in the fourth quarter of 2030, followed by additional pilot installations. Once the pilot phase has been completed successfully, the technology can be rolled out across Austria. In the long term, all existing interlocking systems are intended to be replaced by Digital Interlockings.
Johann Pluy, Member of the Executive Board of ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, said: “Digital Interlockings are a key technology for the railway of the future. With this award, we are setting the course for the comprehensive digitalisation of our signalling infrastructure and creating the conditions needed to make rail transport in Austria more efficient, resilient, and capable.”
Supplier platforms and local presence
Siemens Mobility will deploy SignalingX, a software architecture for digital rail infrastructure that integrates interlocking functions, ETCS, diagnostic systems, object controllers, cybersecurity and other applications on a common platform. The company commissioned a Digital Interlocking in Achau, near Vienna, as a pilot project in 2020, and is currently equipping the entire ÖBB rail network with ETCS Level 2 by 2038.
Tanja Kienegger, Managing Director of Siemens Mobility Austria, said: “What began in 2020 as a pilot project at a station on the outskirts of Vienna is now being developed together with ÖBB into one of the most advanced railway networks in the world. Through technological excellence, digital innovation, and our Digital Interlocking solutions, we are creating the foundation for greater capacity, higher reliability, and more sustainable railway operations.”
Hitachi Rail has been active in Austria for more than six decades. At its Vienna site, the company has spent the last 30 years developing a platform that serves as an operating environment for safety-critical railway applications worldwide. The platform forms the core technology behind solutions such as interlockings, ETCS systems and field elements, and will be deployed in its latest generation as part of the Digital Interlocking programme.
Hannes Boyer, Vice President of North, Central & Eastern Europe, Hitachi Rail, said: “Together with ÖBB, Hitachi Rail is playing a key role in the digitalisation of Austria’s railway network.”
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