DB InfraGO to fit Ratingen–Leverkusen with ETCS, Alstom supplies

DB InfraGO is adding ETCS Level 2 with signals to the Ratingen–Leverkusen section of its Rhine-Alpine corridor project; Alstom has called off the work under the framework contract for digital control and safety technology, including the integrated operating system for the Wuppertal digital control centre. The first radio block centre, Düsseldorf-Rath (43 ETCS kilometres from Ratingen West to Immigrath), is due in service by the end of 2029, followed by the Solingen RBC and the Opladen–Leverkusen Morsbroich stretch (21 ETCS kilometres) with no date given. The framework contract with four industrial firms totals EUR 6.3 billion; no amount is given for this section. The date is a placeholder: it stands for the planned commissioning of the first RBC. Announced on 5 May 2026 (LOK Report, 5 May 2026).