Introduction to High-Speed Rail & ETCS Level 2
Understand how a high-speed railway works as one system, from track and power to ETCS Level 2 signalling and operations.
This course includes:
- 63 video lessons · 14 h
- Practice checks and graded module quizzes
- Final exam
- 63 video lessons · 14 h
- Verifiable certificate with QR code
- Final exam
- Course in English · subtitles in 6 languages
- Access for 6 months
- Beginner friendly
High-speed rail is one of the great engineering achievements of our time: trains running at 300 km/h, safely, minutes apart. None of that happens by chance. It happens because of systems working silently in the background, and this course opens them up one by one.
You start with what makes a railway high-speed: its history, its definition in European law, the networks the world has built and the economics behind them. Then you follow the track itself, from planning a line to the rail, the track bed, the geometry of speed, turnouts, bridges and tunnels. The course goes on to traction power, the trains, signalling and ETCS Level 2, and closes with how a high-speed network is run day after day and where the railway is heading next.
Who it's for
This course is for students, engineers entering the industry, consultants, and business and public-sector professionals who need to speak the language of modern rail. No signalling background is required, just curiosity. Modules 6 and 7 are a technical deep dive into ETCS Level 2; their quizzes check only the essentials.
- Define high-speed rail as European law does, and explain why it is a property of the line, not the train
- Explain how track geometry, ballasted and slab track, bridges and tunnels work together at 300 km/h
- Describe how 25 kV overhead traction power feeds a high-speed train
- Explain how ETCS Level 2 uses radio movement authorities, Eurobalises and braking supervision
- Describe how an ETCS Level 2 train is driven: the modes, the start of mission, the driver's screen and degraded situations
- Judge a high-speed project using distance, passenger numbers and cost per kilometre
- Describe what it takes to run a high-speed network, from headways to timetables
- Explain where the railway is heading: ATO over ETCS, FRMCS, driverless operation and satellite positioning, ETCS beyond high-speed lines, CBTC and PTC, and maglev and hyperloop
Skills you'll gain
- High-speed rail fundamentals
- Track geometry and design
- Ballasted and slab track
- Turnouts and structures
- 25 kV traction power
- Electric multiple units
- Railway signalling
- ETCS Level 2
- ETCS operation and driver interface
- Railway operations
- Rail project economics
- Future rail technologies (ATO, FRMCS)
Practice check
Short, ungraded questions after the lessons, so you can check your understanding as you go.
Module quiz
One graded quiz per module, 70% to pass. Passing every module quiz unlocks the final exam.
Final exam
The final exam earns the certificate. It runs in full screen with in-browser integrity checks (no webcam) and the rules are shown again before you start.
- 30 questions, drawn from a larger bank
- Pass mark: 70%
- Time limit: 45 minutes
- No limit on the number of attempts
- After an unsuccessful attempt, wait 24 hours before trying again
- After 3 unsuccessful attempts in a row, wait 14 days
- Taken in full screen on a computer
Earn a certificate
Module quizzes are practice. Pass the proctored final examination, drawn from the whole course (pass mark: 70%), to receive your Railex Academy certificate of completion.
Each certificate carries a verification code and QR link, so anyone can confirm it online.
Certificates stay valid permanently after they are issued, also after your course access ends.
What's included
- 9 modules · 14 h video
- Practice checks after the lessons
- Graded module quizzes
- Final exam
- Verifiable certificate of completion
- Access for 6 months from purchase, including the final exam and certificate.
One-time payment. No subscription: nothing renews automatically. When the 6 months end you can buy the course again.
Regional price. Prices are set by region, so the course is fairly priced everywhere. Your price is based on the country you are buying from and requires a payment card issued in that region. If you will pay with a card from another country, select it under “Paying with a card from another country?” before you pay: where that country's price is higher, the higher price applies. One price applies across the European Economic Area, and anyone paying with a card issued in the EEA can always buy at the EEA price.
Right of withdrawal. If you have not started any lesson, you can withdraw within 14 days for a full refund. Once you start the course, the right of withdrawal no longer applies. Details in the Terms of Service.
Ludovica
Railex Academy presenter
Presenter: Ludovica, an AI-generated presenter. Narration voice is synthetic.