Belgian railway network operator Infrabel has inaugurated a new control room in Brussels. This forms the completion of a major operation in which 368 outdated signal boxes were replaced by ten modern counterparts. The program started 18 years ago and represents an investment of nearly 1 billion euros. It turns the operator into one of the most advanced European players in rail management.

Antwerp-Port, Antwerp-Berchem, Bruges, Charleroi, Ghent-Sint-Pieters, Hasselt, Liège, Mons, and Namur are signal boxes, or control rooms, from which all train traffic in Belgium is regulated.

Centralizing the number of signal boxes makes train traffic safer and more accurate, says Infrabel. Because it results in a more global view of train traffic, signal box staff can anticipate possible incidents faster. Communication is also more efficient, claims Infrabel.

Digital evolution

In the past, train drivers often had to contact several signal boxes, which regulated train traffic in small geographical areas. It was necessary to work with a high volume of signal boxes. But regulating train traffic over long distances has become possible through digitization and the fiber-optic network.

Indeed, all the control rooms are now fully computerized and operate with the Traffic Management System, an IT system that “places Infrabel at the head of the European pack in terms of rail management, just behind Switzerland,” says Infrabel CEO Benoît Gilson.

“This is a saving of resources, but it also means more efficiency for the rail network,” says Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo). “This contributes to punctuality, henceforth more trains can run on our network, while it also reduces energy consumption. We can save now 10%.”

Thanks to the latest investment round of 11 billion euros granted by the federal government, Infrabel will also be able to concentrate on future projects, such as the improvement of IT in the signaling cabins, the construction of new lines, the finalization of the RER, or additional investments in the ports of Antwerp and Ghent.

800 vacancies

A signal box employs 100 to 150 people. So, around 1 300 people regulate Belgium’s train traffic. Every day, some 3 800 trains run on Belgium’s 3 500-km railway network, one of the densest rail networks in the world. In the near future, Infrabel wants to increase the number of trains to over 4 200 on weekdays.

The ‘merger’ of signal boxes has been accompanied by a new work organization, with a reduction in staff of more than a thousand people, the majority of whom were, in fact, retirees.

This year, the rail infrastructure manager plans to recruit some 800 people, of which around 200 will work in the signal boxes and another 150 in its ICT, finance, and human resources departments. To work in a signal box, you must have a high school diploma and speak Dutch and French. The training is paid for and lasts six months.