Significant Partnership Deal Signed between EFACEC and HIMA

Sweden had already submitted a plan for the digitalization of rail in 2017, and now its rail infrastructure owner is relying on COTS solutions for the modernization of level crossings. EFACEC, a market leader in the rail sector, turned to proven HIMA technology to design a new solution for level crossings and make this vision a reality.

For EFACEC, this major project in Sweden involves the modernization of a significant part of the Swedish level crossings over a period that can extend over the next 25 years and include more than a thousand units. Answering to Trafikverket’s specific requirements, EFACEC’s XSafe level crossing control system will be used - XSafe is the latest version of EFACEC's automatic level crossing control system, based on HIMA's proven COTS technology, and for this particular project the HIMatrix F30 COTS controllers will be used.

"For EFACEC, this major order to modernize level crossings in Sweden is an important milestone," said Pedro Pinto, Manager of EFACEC’s Transportation Business Unit. "With the innovative concept of XSafe – using COTS technology – we were able to prevail against strong European competitors. At the same time, we have continued our successful partnership with HIMA. Our aim is to further expand our position in Scandinavia as a supplier of safety-critical systems for rail transport."

Delivering results via a strong partnership

EFACEC has been working with HIMA as safety supplier to EFACEC’s signaling and level crossing solutions for more than a decade . Recently, besides the specific contract for the level crossing project in Sweden, another contract was signed between EFACEC and HIMA concerning an overall partnership covering technological cooperation, training for EFACEC employees, detailed documentation and the necessary software tools.

Sedat Sezgün, Group Vice President Business Segment Rail at HIMA, commented: "This new partnership with EFACEC in such a major project is another important step for us as a provider of COTS solutions. COTS is already widely used as a forward-looking and competitive solution in European rail networks and, in addition to SIL4 certification in accordance with CENELEC, offers many advantages in terms of standardization and flexibility as well as great cost reduction potential".

XSafe: Setting the standard across Europe

The powerful XSafe controller is based on the SIL 4 certified HIMatrix series from HIMA. Its decentralized design with IP-based communication to individual modules has proven to be outstanding for this type of application, especially with regard to interfacing with other railway systems. This enables significant cost reductions, among other aspects in optimized cabling. Thanks to the modularity and flexibility of the HIMatrix platform, XSafe offers a highly configurable solution suitable for almost any type of level crossing.

EFACEC and HIMA have, for example, already successfully deployed XSafe level crossing systems in Portuguese and Polish rail infrastructure.

Learn more about HIMatrix –  the compact safety solution

AEGIS Interlocking system – Powered by HIMatrix , too

A similar architecture based on HIMatrix platform is also used in EFACEC’s AEGIS Interlocking system, already in service in Oporto Metro (Portugal), Dublin Light Rail (Ireland) and being installed at Odense Light Rail (Denmark).

Read more

(left to right) Sedat Sezgün, Group Vice President Business Segment Rail at HIMA, and Pedro Pinto, Manager of EFACEC’s Transportation Business Unit, signed the partnership deal. Image © HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH

Automatic level crossings systems based on COTS technology will be more frequently seen in Sweden in the future. Our photo shows a level crossing safety system at Linha do Minho in Portugal, developed and installed by EFACEC and HIMA. Image © EFACEC

Architecture of the XSafe controller.