All signals on the Dutch railways are to be fitted with an improved emergency braking system, junior transport minister Wilma Mansveld announced on Thursday.

All signals are currently fitted with a system which should automatically stop trains if they threaten to go through a red light at speeds higher than 40 kph.

However, an improved version of the ATB system stops trains at lower speeds and this is now to be fitted to 2,800 signals which don’t yet have it, Mansveld said.

Railway track company Prorail estimates this will cost €112m.

Red lights

Last year trains drove through red lights 173 times, and while this is down sharply on 10 years ago, the minister said she wants further reductions. Prorail has set a target of just 10 instances within four years, news agency ANP said.

The cabinet has also reserved €2bn to expand use of a European rail safety system known as Ertms.

One person was killed last year when a train drove through a red light and ploughed into another train on the outskirts of Amsterdam.