Third ERTMS Work Plan: ERTMS deployment is progressing, but more must be done

Today, the European ERTMS Coordinator published the Third Work Plan on the status of European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) deployment across EU Member States. While there is progress and renewed political commitment to modernising Europe's railway infrastructure and rolling stock, the work plan highlights that deployment is uneven and slower than required.

With the European Train Control System (ETCS) deployed on about 10% (12 400 km) of the TEN-T network and equipped on some 19% of the EU railway fleet (8 730 vehicles) by the end of 2024, deployment remains significantly behind schedule and risks failing to meet the objectives of the TEN-T Regulation. ERTMS Coordinator Matthias Ruete emphasises the need to accelerate and achieve industrial scale deployment to meet the objectives set out in the TEN-T Regulation. For this to happen, the third ERTMS Work Plan outlines the following key actions:

• Stronger governance and coordination to ensure a more consistent and timely deployment of ERTMS across Member States, in particular along cross-border sections.
• Sufficient and stable financing to give stakeholders the certainty to make their long-term investment decisions.
• A long-term approach to deployment, moving beyond project-by-project implementation towards coordinated action plans at network level.
• Approaching ERTMS deployment as a strategic system modernisation, integrating technical, operational, and organisational aspects.

Background

ERTMS aims to enhance the safety, efficiency, and interoperability of rail transport across Europe by standardising signalling and communication systems. To guide this transition, the EU has established long-term milestones in the TEN-T regulation, starting with the requirement to deploy ERTMS on the TEN-T Core Network by 2030 and gradually extending to the rest of the TEN-T network by 2050.

Matthias Ruete has been the European Coordinator for ERTMS since January 2019. In this role, he ensures the coordinated implementation of ERTMS, particularly on the nine European Transport Corridors.

For more information

Third Work Plan on the status of ERTMS deployment

Annex to the Work Plan

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