THE AUTHORITY PHASE OF COMMISSIONING METRO LINE M4 BEGAN TODAY

The passengerless test operation (the so-called “white test”) supervised by the National Transport Authority (NKH) began early this morning, where the entire automatic system and the trains have to meet the safety criteria prescribed by the NKH and used in international practice in order that the Test in Traffic Operation (i.e. test operation with passengers) can commence at the end of March. During this roughly two-month period minor failings requiring fine-tuning might occur, but defects that might endanger passenger safety cannot, this being the precondition of issuing the completion certificate of the entire metro line.

The train-control, power-supply, safety and communication systems of the new metro line of Budapest have been tested by SIEMENS experts and, for some examinations, by ALSTOM experts since last October, and, parallel to the contractors, the employer has also been participating in the tests with its own personnel since the beginning of December. It is this, roughly two-month process that the National Transport Authority has now joined. Its experts will continually supervise tests and evaluate test results.

The inspection of the train-control system will take place at the control room of the line at the depot. During the examination of the tests, the following among others must prove to operate appropriately: the signalling equipment, the doors, train-control and train-supervision equipment; and there can be no repeated overruns above tolerance; there can be no communication fault impacting the entire system; the schedule must also be kept; and train attendant interferences and run omissions must be under the limits prescribed by the authority and the employer.

In the last period of this phase of commissioning, all safety criteria must be met without compromise; i.e. minor failings requiring fine-tuning might occur, but no event can take place where limit values of the standards prescribed by the authority and used in international practice are exceed; in other words, no event can happen that is safety-critical and be a danger to future passengers. Put simply, the entire line has to meet all the criteria of operational safety and operability before the Test in Traffic Operation begins, when passengers can start to use the new metro line.

Photo by Dávid Nyitrai, BKK