The ongoing metro failures in Amsterdam since the new security system CBTC was put into operation cannot be solved for the time being. This is due to the older metro trains that are used. They are adapted to the security system, but are actually not suitable for it. That reported AT5 after discussions with staff of the Amsterdam transport service GVB.
In 2021, all metro traffic in Amsterdam was completely shut down eleven times. Due to malfunctions, it was often impossible to drive for an hour. In the new year it was also hit: last week there was a failure of an hour and a half.
According to a metro driver, this is the result of the hasty commissioning of the security system. He helped with the testing phase of CBTC four years ago. According to him, it was already clear at the time that the old metro trains would not function properly on the new system. “I had to try to brake at full speed, but that went wrong. The older metro trains are too worn out to function with the precision of the CBTC system. If they roll even a few centimeters too far, the system stops. “
Could take years
Because the system was not made for the Amsterdam situation, smaller problems were taken into account from the start. Large-scale disruptions were not expected. Alderman Egbert de Vries wrote in a letter to the city council in November that it may still take years before the problems with the metro security system are resolved. The older metro vehicles will be phased out from mid-2023.
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