New study finds fragmentation raises costs of ERTMS trackside deployment, recommends alignment to reduce expense

The European Commission has published a study analysing the cost drivers affecting the trackside deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and identifying measures to improve deployment efficiency across Europe.

Only about 10% of the trans-European rail network has so far been equipped with ERTMS. It is estimated that completing deployment will require investments of between EUR 75 billion and EUR 85 billion. This is why it is essential to accelerate ERTMS deployment to reduce costs and shorten project timelines.

The new study finds that fragmented deployment practices across Europe are the root cause of high ERTMS deployment costs and complexity. Project-specific requirements, often linked to national rules and legacy systems, require suppliers to develop tailor-made solutions. Vendor lock-in situations can favour incumbent suppliers even more, and limit competition. The higher costs are also explained by country-specific solutions rather than standardised products based on European specifications. In addition, cost drivers make the ERTMS complex in areas such as engineering, system integration and data configuration.

To address these challenges, the study proposes further aligning the system and industrialising deployment processes. Its key recommendations include deploying ERTMS without legacy Class B systems, strengthening project management, increasing the use of modern engineering tools and methods, aligning and simplifying engineering rules, and streamlining authorisation procedures.

Together, these measures would reduce complexity, lower costs and accelerate the large-scale deployment of ERTMS across Europe.

Background

ERTMS is the EU standard signalling and train control system designed to improve interoperability, safety and operational performance across the European railway network. The study was carried out by the ERTMS Deployment Management Team (DMT) to identify the main cost drivers affecting trackside deployment and propose practical solutions to improve deployment efficiency.

For more information

• Study on ERTMS trackside deployment
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• ERTMS - Mobility and Transport - European Commission