European Rail Traffic Management System

CEF support to European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS)- May 2020

TEN-T support to European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) - April 2018

CEF Transport projects by country

The European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is a single interoperable system to replace the more than 20 different national train control and command systems currently in operation throughout Europe. Implementation of the system will deliver enhanced cross-border interoperability, creating a seamless, Europe-wide railway system.

ERTMS is a major industrial project co-developed by eight UNIFE members (Alstom Transport, Ansaldo STS, AZD Praha, Bombardier Transportation, CAF, Mermec, Siemens Mobility and Thales) in close cooperation with the European Union, railway stakeholders and members of the Global System for Mobile Communications – Railways (GSM-R) industry.

ERTMS is made up of two main components:

European Train Control System (ETCS): A single automatic train protection system (ATP) to replace the more than 20 train control systems currently in use throughout Europe

Global System for Mobile Communications – Railways (GSM-R): A radio system for providing voice and data communication between the track and the train, based on standard GSM using frequencies specifically reserved for rail application

Currently all systems in operation across Europe are stand-alone and non-interoperable, requiring extensive integration and engineering efforts to achieve compatibility, raising total delivery costs for cross-border traffic. This combination of factors restricts competition and hampers the competitiveness of the European rail sector vis-à-vis road transport by creating technical barriers to international journeys.

The implementation of ERTMS is therefore key to improving cross-border connections, increasing international freight and passenger capacity, delivering higher reliability rates, opening up the supply market, and most critically—improving standards of safety.

By improving rail sector competitiveness, ERTMS can also help to level the playing field between rail and road and ultimately provide significant environmental gains, with passengers and freight moving from road to rail.

In January 2015, the European Commission launched an implementation support program for ERTMS, to be steered by a Deployment Management Team (DMT). The programme was introduced to ensure the efficient, synchronised and timely implementation of ERTMS along all Core Network Corridors and ensure consistency with other parts of the Core and Comprehensive Networks.

The DMT is responsible for providing support to stakeholders involved in ERTMS projects, in the form of technical knowledge, economic and financial guidance and technical information sessions. To further broaden its reach, the DMT also offers a regular newsletter through which it disseminates current news and updates of relevance to stakeholders engaged in the deployment of ERTMS.    

With ERTMS now in a deployment phase across Europe, these close links between the DMT and the different ERTMS projects around Europe allow the DMT to provide a valuable feedback loop, with important incoming knowledge and experience disseminated back to stakeholders, providing an important framework for lessons to be learned and improvements made.

Further information about ERTMS and the role of the DMT’s implementation support program in the deployment of ERTMS

European Coordinator for ERTMS, Matthias Ruete

Matthias Ruete was appointed European Coordinator for ERTMS from January 2019, following on from Karel Vinck.

As European ERTMS Coordinator for the European Commission, he now leads the ERTMS deployment. In this role, he supervises the implementation of ERTMS on the nine Core Network Corridors. Matthias Ruete has dealt with ERTMS and Transeuropean Networks for over ten years, first as Commission Transport Director and then as Director General.

As Director-General, he was the most senior civil servant dealing with Transport for over eight years (2006 to 2014). In parallel, he was responsible for Energy and Galileo for four years (2006 to 2010). Most recently, he was Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs (2014 to 2018).

He joined the European Commission services in 1986. Tasks were as Director for Competitiveness (2005), Director coordinating the enlargement negotiations (2000 to 2004) and as Director in International Transport, Galileo and trans-European Infrastructure Networks (1998 to 2000). He also worked in Internal Market, Industry, Energy, Media, Education as well as in Innovation and Research.

Matthias Ruete was born on 29 August 1950 in Marburg, Germany and was educated in schools in Japan, USA, India and Germany. He studied law and political sciences in Marburg, Cologne, Berlin, Giessen and London. He holds a Master in Law (London) and a doctorate in intellectual property law (Giessen) and both German state exams in law. Before joining the European Commission, Matthias Ruete lectured in Constitutional, European and International Public Law at Warwick University, Justus Liebig University Giessen and Philipps University Marburg.

Academic qualifications

1984: Dr. juris., University of Giessen, Law faculty

1978 - 1979: LLM (Lon), University of London

1975 - 1978: Assessor iuris (Second State Exam in Law), Government of Hessen

1968 - 1975: Law degree and bar studies, university of Marburg, Köln, Berlin, Giessen

Professional experience in the European Institutions

2018: Advisor 'hors classe' , Secretariat General, European Commission

2014 – 2018: Director general DG "Migration and Home Affairs" (HOME)

2010 - 2014: Director general DG "Mobility and Transport" (MOVE)
Under his responsibility: Transport White Paper, Recast of the first railway package, proposal for the fourth railway package, merger of high speed and conventional rail specifications; interoperability of rail systems, TEN-T guidelines, Connecting Europe facility etc

2006 - 2009: Director general DG "Energy and Transports" (TREN)
Under his responsibility: first ERTMS deployment plan, New interoperability directive:, regulation amending the framework for the European Rail Agency, Third railway package, Public service regulation, Guidelines for state aid railways etc

2005: Director DG "Enterprise and Industry", "Coordination for Competitiveness" (ENTR)

July 2003 - December 2004: Director DG "Enlargement", "Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and coordination" (ELARG)

May 2000 - July 2003: Director DG "Enlargement", "Coordination of negotiations, pre-accession and financial instruments" (ELARG)

1998 - 2000: Director DG "Transport", "International relations, trans-European transport and infrastructure networks"
Under his responsibility as director: Development of ERTMS, Interoperability directive for high speed rail, TEN-T and development of the TINA network

1995 - 1998: Member, afterwards Deputy Head of Cabinet - Cabinet of the Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Education

1993 - 1995: Head of Unit DG "Industry", "Industrial co-operation"

1987 - 1993: Administrator, afterwards Assistant to Director general Ricardo Perissich DG "Internal Market and industrial Affairs"

1986 - 1987: Administrator DG "Social Affairs"

1982 - 1985: Visiting Lecturer in Law, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

1979 - 1982: Scientific Collaborator/Assistant/lecturer at the two Institutes for Public Law (Constitutional; European; International Public Law)

Meeting with Commissioner Adina Vălean, Brussels, 19 July 2021

Mr. Ruete together with Mr. Kristian Schmidt, the Director of the “Land Transport” Directorate at DG MOVE, Mr. Josef Doppelbauer, Executive Director, ERA, and Mr. Carlo Borghini, Executive Director, S2R met Ms. Adina Vălean, Commissioner for Transport. The discussion regarded the ERTMS deployment and focussed on the current status trackside and on-board; available funding; envisaged strategy for the TEN-T Guidelines and CCS TSI revision; incorporation of new technologies; transition management; role of the Commission, ERA and the new Joint Undertaking Europe’s Rail.

10th Annual Train Control Management Systems Conference, 6 July 2021

Mr. Ruete gave via a videoconference a keynote speech at the 10th Annual Train Control Management Systems Conference in Sydney, Australia. In his intervention Mr. Ruete shared with the Australian public the European experience as regards the ERTMS deployment, lessons learned and a vision for the future.

Meeting with Mr. Bednárik of ČD and Mr. Dopelbauer of ERA, Brussels, 1 July 2021

Mr. Ruete had a meeting with Ivan Bednárik, CEO of ČD (Czech railways) and Mr. Josef Dopelbauer, the Executive Director of ERA. The discussion centred on the challenges related to equipping the Czech passenger fleet with ERTMS, industrial capacity, unit costs and EU funding in the current and forthcoming financial perspective.

Meeting with Mr. Ruijters of DG MOVE, Brussels, 1 July 2021

Mr. Ruete met Mr. Herald Ruijters, Director of the Directorate “Investment, Innovative & Sustainable Transport” at DG MOVE. During the meeting Mr. Ruete discussed among others, the issue of ERTMS deployment on-board and trackside; deadline for decommissioning of class B system and revision of the TEN-T Guidelines.

ERTMS Platform Coordination subgroup meeting, 29 June 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the ERTMS Platform Coordination subgroup, where he met representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, CER, UNISIG, EUG, EIM, UIC, UNITEL and DMT.  During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: state of play of the ERTMS deployment, System Pillar, framework for change of specifications and availability of specific transmission modules.

Rail Baltica ERTMS workshop, 28 June 2020

Mr. Ruete took part via a videoconference in the “ERTMS for Rail Baltica: ensuring implementation and interoperability from Tallinn to Warsaw” workshop that was also attended by Ms. Catherine Trautmann, Coordinator for the North Sea-Baltic Corridor; representatives of the European Commission; ERA; ministries; government agencies; railway undertakings and infrastructure managers from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Poland. In his speech, Mr. Ruete emphasised that, given the fact that it is the biggest green field rail project in Europe, the Rail Baltica constitutes a unique opportunity for digitalisation of the railways. In this context, close cooperation between all parties concerned, including Poland and Finland, is key as the fewer interfaces along a cross-border line, the easier it is to ensure the interoperability. Furthermore, Mr. Ruete pointed out that the strong position of RB Rail ensures a common stance of all parties concerned in the Baltic states.  

Hearing at the TRAN Committee, 28 June 2021

Mr. Ruete together with Ms. Catherine Trautmann, Coordinator for the North Sea Baltic Corridor, participated via a videoconference in a hearing at the TRAN Committee of the European Parliament.

Mr. Ruete thanked MEPs for their support, notably for their own initiative report and pointed to the main priorities, e.g. equipping locomotives with ERTMS and phasing out of class B systems. In his view, the TEN-T network should be fully equipped by 2040, rather than 2050.

Several MEPs took the floor on ERTMS: MEP Barbara Thaler raised the issue of tackling the current trackside patchwork, changes to the TEN-T Guidelines to avoid a dual trackside deployment, need for an enhanced governance; MEP Johan Danielsson asked about the best practices for equipping rolling stock with ERTMS; MEP Dominique Riquet inquired about evolution to higher ERTMS levels, use of satellites instead of balises and interaction with the European Space Agency; MEP Izaskun Bilbao pointed out to the risk of missing the Green Deal objectives, need to decommission class B systems, better staffing of ERA and use of RRF for ERTMS, MEP Claudia Monteiro De Aguiar wanted to learn how to better connect Portugal to the Central Europe.

CER High Level Freight meeting, 17 June 2021

Mr. Ruete took part in a discussion with CER Freight CEOs and representatives of DG MOVE, ERA and S2R on digitalisation of railways, including ERTMS, Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC), Automated Train Operations (ATO), Digital Platforms (DP) and Digital Capacity Management (DCM-TTR). In his intervention, Mr. Ruete pointed out among others to the ERTMS business case analysis. This study demonstrated that a dual on-board migration strategy has the most advantageous economic outcome at a system level. To start the decommissioning class B trackside, rolling stock has to be equipped with ERTMS. Railway undertakings, especially freight operators but also international passenger operators, cannot be left alone with equipping their fleet. Trackside there is also a need to make considerable efforts to move from ERTMS islands to entire corridors and networks. The focus should be on existing gaps to close them as soon as possible in order to allow continuous operation on longer stretches of the network with ERTMS only. As such, it will be possible to improve the business case especially for freight operators. A major focus also needs to be placed on ERTMS deployment in main rail nodes and accessibility of terminals. ERTMS will become for the international freight operators not only an additional signalling system on top of the existing systems, but a system replacing class B systems and opening up a network range of locomotives to new markets.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, 9 June 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the eighth seminar of the European Coordinators related to the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. The discussion in this meeting focused on the financing aspects of the review of the TEN-T Regulation. The seminar encompassed three parts. In the first one, Antongiulio Marin, deputy Head of Unit at DG MOVE, explained the concept of the “Do No Significant Harm” (DNSH) principle. In the second part, Head of Unit Eddy Liégeois gave an overview of the financial reporting and monitoring provisions of the current Regulation, underlined their limitations such as the administrative burden, lack of harmonisation and the reliance on data providers. In the third part, Prof. Secchi and Prof. Bodewig presented a discussion paper building on their last report “Enabling the uptake of the TEN-T projects pipeline by the EU financial instruments and by the financial market”. The other Coordinators provided feedback and further ideas on these matters.

Meeting with DG MOVE on System Pillar, 8 June 2021

Mr. Ruete met the representatives of DG MOVE and discussed the current state of play as regards the preparation for establishing the System Pillar. Mr. Ruete learned especially about the envisaged scope and the planned decision-taking process within the System Pillar. 

Seminar of the European Coordinators, 1 June 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the seventh seminar of the European Coordinators related to the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. The discussion in this meeting focused on the current provisions in the TEN-T Regulation for Motorways of the Sea (MoS) and inland waterways (IWW) and a proposal how to revise them.

Meeting on the System Pillar and the 2022 CCS TSI revision, 31 May 2021

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in a meeting with DG MOVE, ERA and S2R aimed at discussing next steps on the System Pillar design and implementation; progress on CCS TSI revision; state of play of the ERTMS deployment and impact assessment process.

Meeting with Mr. Debudey of Siemens Mobility on the reauthorisation of locos and obligation to upgrade to baseline 3, 28 May 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Martin Debudey, the Head of the Authorisation & Approval Management Team within the Siemens Mobility Rolling Stock Unit, with whom he discussed the current legal framework for the reauthorisation of existing locomotives, including the obligation to upgrade to baseline 3, and the impact on the ETCS on-board deployment.

Meeting with ERA on trackside approval, 20 May 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference ERA experts who explained the current state of play as regards the trackside approval. In particular, Mr. Ruete learned about encountered challenges related to this procedure, progress on the requests submitted and the project pipeline.

ERTMS Day Conference, 18 May 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a teleconference the “ERTMS Day” conference In Stockholm, where he gave a presentation on how the ERTMS deployment might be accelerated. The audience were mainly Swedish train operators, vehicle owners, entrepreneurs and industry organisations. In the ensuing discussions Mr. Ruete answered some questions asked by participants of the conference.

Meeting with Mr. Da Costa of EUSPA, 12 May 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Rodrigo DA COSTA, the new Executive Director of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme. The discussion focussed on the E-GNSS in rail safety relevant applications, including ERTMS, and the state of play of CR1368.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, 11 May 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the sixth seminar of the European Coordinators related to the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. The discussion in this meeting focused on the alternative fuels and ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) provisions of the TEN-T Regulation. Regarding alternative fuels, there was an extensive exchange of views on  the implementation of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive and its forthcoming revision. Regarding ITS, the Coordinators had a similar discussion on the state of play of the implementation of the ITS Directive and its limitations.

DMT Quarterly Meeting, 7 May 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the quarterly meeting between DG MOVE and the ERTMS Deployment Management Team (DMT). The objective of the meeting was to discuss planned activities; review the progress of ongoing DMT tasks, including information and communication activities; provision of economic expertise; monitoring of ERTMS deployment and technical follow up of ERTMS projects.

Meeting on the obligation to upgrade locomotives to baseline 3, 4 May 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference DG MOVE experts to exchange the views on the current legal framework as regards the reauthorisation of existing locomotives and the impact on the ETCS on-board deployment.

Meeting with Mr. Borghini of S2R, 26 April 2020

Mr. Ruete had a teleconference with Mr. Carlo Borghini, Executive Director of S2R. During the conversation Mr. Ruete discussed the current works of S2R, progress in preparation of the future CCS governance framework, including the system and innovation pillars.

Meeting with Mr. Schmidt of DG MOVE, Brussels, 22 April 2021

Mr. Ruete met Mr. Kristian Schmidt, the new Director of the “Land Transport” Directorate at DG MOVE. During the meeting Mr. Ruete informed Mr. Schmidt about the current state of play of the ERTMS deployment, both trackside and on-board. He also outlined identified key challenges and possible solutions to address them, including decommissioning of class B systems and scrapping schemes.

Meeting with DG MOVE, EUG and CER, 21 April 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting between DG MOVE, EUG and CER. The discussion in this meeting focused on the ERTMS funding and financing with a view to accelerating the dual on-board strategy.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, 20 April 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the fifth seminar of the European Coordinators related to the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. The discussion in this meeting focused on the rail, ERTMS and roads. In the debate among others the following issues were addressed: the possible solutions to create synergies between the existing core network corridors and the rail freight corridors, a new ERTMS deployment strategy and the related amendments to the TEN-T Guidance, EDP and CCS TSI.

Meeting with Mr. Doppelbauer of ERA, 15 April 2019

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Josef Doppelbauer, the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), with whom he discussed the recent and forthcoming ERTMS developments and in particular the forthcoming CCS TSI revision.

Meeting with Mr. de Grandmaison of Wabtec, 15 April 2019

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference representatives of Wabtec, including Mr. Geoffroy de Grandmaison, Director Marketing Transit of Wabtec. Mr. Ruete learned about the Wabtec experience from the deployment of the Positive Train Control system in the United States.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, 13 April 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the fourth seminar of the European Coordinators related to the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. The discussion in this meeting focused on the links between the TEN-T and third countries, especially in the Western Balkans and countries of the Eastern Partnership. Mr. Ruete stressed that the Western Balkans will play a key role in the ERTMS deployment in Europe. The Coordinators concluded on the need to focus on cross-border connectivity, necessity of having a structured dialogue with the third countries and importance of a legal basis for the possible involvement of the Coordinators in those discussions.

RFC RALP ERTMS Task Force meeting, 12 April 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference ERTMS experts from the Rail Freight Corridor Rhine-Alpine gathered in a Task Force. In the meeting, Mr. Ruete learned among others about the vehicle authorisation process; deployment planning; on-board financing and radio deployment strategies.

RailTech Europe 2021, 31 March 2021

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in the RailTech Europe 2021. This major conference gathered some keynote speakers and was dedicated to the modernization of the European rail infrastructure. During the conference Mr. Ruete outlines the current state of play and indicated main challenges related to the ERTMS deployment and answered questions from the public.

Meeting on the 2022 CCS TSI revision, 24 March 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with DG MOVE, ERA and S2R aimed at discussing next steps in the CCS TSI revision, including low cost and regional deployment, Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC); train positioning and timing for the FRMCS readiness. 

Meeting on the 2022 CCS TSI revision, 22 March 2021

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in a meeting with DG MOVE, ERA and S2R aimed at discussing next steps in the CCS TSI revision, including the scope of the revision; a proposed approach to error corrections and new functionalities; ATO; requirements for on-board and class-B decommissioning dates.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, 19 March 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the third seminar of the European Coordinators related to the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. The discussion in this meeting focused on the urban nodes on both the core and comprehensive network. Mr. Ruete stressed the importance of deploying ERTMS in the nodes in order to allow railway undertakings a continuous operation with ERTMS and to improve their business case.

Presentation in the EP of the ERTMS report of MEP Bilbao Barandica, 15 March 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the presentation in the European Parliament of the “Railway safety and signalling: Assessing the state of play of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) deployment” report, for which the rapporteur was MEP Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, and the ensuing discussion between the MEPs.

Meeting with Mr. Quinet of SNCF Réseau, 15 March 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Alain Quinet, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Strategy & Corporate Affairs at SNCF Réseau. The discussion focussed on the state of play of the ERTMS deployment in France and Europe; roll-out plans for the coming years; CEF funding, including unit costs; funding under recovery and resilience plans; on-board strategy; revision of CCS TSI and TEN-T Guidelines and possible decommissioning of class B systems.

Meeting with Mr. Čech of Správa železnic on the ERTMS deployment on regional lines, 15 March 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with Mr. Radek Čech, Director of the International Affairs Department at Správa železnic, regarding a cost effective ERTMS deployment on regional lines.

Meeting with Mr. Bednárik of ČD, 12 March 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Ivan Bednárik, CEO of ČD (Czech railways). The discussion focussed on the Czech strategy to equip passenger fleet with ERTMS, including the regional locomotives, unit costs and EU funding.

Meeting with Mr. Bedmar of RB Rail, 10 March 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Jean-Marc Bedmar, Head of Systems and Operation Department at RB Rail AS. During the meeting, Mr. Ruete discussed current issues related to the interoperability of the Rail Baltica, including CCS Strategy study, 1520/1435 CCS interfaces and interoperability questions and FRMCS timeline.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, 9 March 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the second seminar of the European Coordinators related to the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. The discussion in this meeting focused on the governance of the TEN-T and corridors. Mr. Ruete emphasised among others a need to appoint national contact points for the ERTMS deployment and establish an ERTMS forum.

Meeting with Mr. Fitch of DG MOVE, 5 March 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Keir Fitch, Head of Unit “Rail Safety and Interoperability” at DG MOVE. During the meeting, Mr. Ruete discussed current issues related to the ERTMS deployment.

ERTMS CEF Actions' Workshop, Brussels, 4 March 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the INEA workshop dedicated to ERTMS CEF actions.  The main objective of the workshop was to share knowledge and experience regarding the technical implementation of CEF ERTMS projects, to improve their successful completion.

The agenda covered beneficiaries’ feedback from ERTMS projects as well as horizontal topics including policy, financial and technical context with the contribution of DG MOVE, the EU Railway Agency, the Deployment Management Team (DMT) and INEA. In his intervention Mr. Ruete outlined the policy context of the ERTMS deployment that was complemented by information on the rollout statistics and the scope of the forthcoming revision of CSS TSI provided by DG MOVE experts.

Meeting with Mr. Boschen of INEA, 1 March 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Andreas Boschen, Head of the Department for the Connecting Europe Facility at INEA. In the meeting Mr. Ruete shared his vision on the ERTMS deployment and exchanged views on the current and future CEF support for ERTMS, both on-board and trackside.

DMT Quarterly Meeting, 23 February 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the quarterly meeting between DG MOVE and the ERTMS Deployment Management Team (DMT). The objective of the meeting was to discuss planned activities, review the progress of ongoing DMT tasks, including information and communication activities; provision of economic expertise; monitoring of ERTMS deployment and technical follow up of ERTMS projects.

ERTMS Policy Board meeting, 23 February 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the ERTMS Policy Board meeting that gathered representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, INEA and S2R. The meeting was dedicated to the issue of the ERTMS deployment both trackside and on-board. DG MOVE presented the latest data for the rollout and results of the ERTMS+1 class B study. The study covered networks representing around 75% of overall freight traffic in the EU. The conclusions are that a major change will happen in the coming years with a migration from isolated “ERTMS islands” to commercially significant networks equipped with ERTMS within and between countries. ERTMS should now be a standard equipment for the rolling stock, especially for any international rail freight operator, given the decommissioning plans of class B systems. ERTMS will become soon a replacement for class B systems rather than an additional system. Furthermore, the participants discussed the CEF funding and the main implementation problems of ERTMS projects, including non-availability of Baseline 3 products, high costs of products, procurement procedures, change in national implementation plans, limited capacity of  suppliers to deliver and delays in prototype impacting serial deployment.

Meeting on the System Pillar and the 2022 CCS TSI revision, 22 February 2021

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in a meeting with DG MOVE, ERA and S2R aimed at discussing next steps on the System Pillar design and implementation; progress on CCS TSI revision, including update on the envisaged scope and timeline, train positioning; timing for the FRMCS readiness and Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC).

Meeting with Mr. Mazzola, 19 February 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Alberto Mazzola, Executive Director of CER. In the meeting Mr. Ruete shared his vision on the ERTMS deployment trackside, including on regional lines; need to address the rolling stock issue and decommissioning of class B systems.

Meeting with Mr. Citroën of UNIFE, 17 February 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Philippe Citroën, Director General of UNIFE. In the meeting Mr. Ruete exchanged views on the state of play of the ERTMS deployment, the scope of the CCS TSI and TEN-T revision, national recovery and resilience plans, equipment of fleet and industrial capacity.

General Assembly of EUG, 16 February 2021

Mr. Ruete took part via a videoconference in the General Assembly of EUG. Mr. Ruete learned from the representatives of the infrastructure managers present in the meeting about the current state of play of the ERTMS rollout trackside in the respective countries. Mr. Ruete replied to questions and informed about the ERTMS deployment at EU level and shared his vision on the strategy for the future, including the decommissioning of class B systems.

Meeting with Mr. Doppelbauer of ERA, 15 February 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Josef Doppelbauer, the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA). During the meeting, Mr. Ruete and Mr. Doppelbauer exchanged views on the current state of play of the ERTMS deployment in Europe, the role of ERA as a system authority, vehicles authorisation and the forthcoming CCS TSI revision.

CEF Transport committee meeting, 11 February 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Committee, during which, among others, the progress in implementation of CEF transport projects was discussed and new ERTMS projects funded under the blending facility approved.

ERTMS meeting with DG MOVE and INEA on a possible use of a blending facility for ERTMS deployment under CEF2, 10 February 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with the representatives of DG MOVE and INEA on a possible use of the blending facility for the ERTMS deployment under CEF2. The participants analysed the ongoing projects and discussed lessons learned from the blending facility support for the ERTMS deployment under the current CEF financing perspective and then exchanged views on advantages and disadvantages of continuation of this type of assistance under the new perspective.

PRIME financing subgroup, 5 February 2021

Mr. Ruete took part via a videoconference, in the PRIME financing subgroup. The meeting was attended by the railways infrastructure financing experts with whom Mr. Ruete discussed the issue of the ERTMS deployment gaps and higher rollout costs in urban nodes. Furthermore, he exchanged views on the suitability of establishing a separate unit contribution category for urban nodes under CEF2.

ERTMS brainstorming session organised by MEP Bilbao Barandica, 3 February 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference, together with the broader sector, a brainstorming session entitled “ERTMS: state of play and recommendations.” The event was organised by MEP Izaskun Bilbao Barandica and aimed at exchange of views on the main questions related to the ERTMS deployment, including the remaining interoperability issues, decommissioning of Class B systems, difference in deployment for the passengers and the freight sector, retrofitting and renewal of the fleet, ERTMS business case, ERTMS financing and funding.

Seminar of the European Coordinators, 2 February 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the first seminar of the European Coordinators dedicated to the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. Director Herald Ruijters explained the political context of the revision linked to the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, while Head of Unit Eddy Liégeois elaborated on the roadmap and specific elements of the revision. The discussion focused on the main elements of the revision as well as on the role of the Coordinators.

Meeting on the System Pillar and the 2022 CCS TSI revision, 28 January 2021

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in a meeting with DG MOVE, ERA and S2R aimed at discussing next steps for the System Pillar design and implementation; progress on CCS TSI revision, including update on the envisaged scope and timeline; train positioning; timing for the FRMCS readiness and Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC).

European Railway Award, 25 January 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the European Railway Award. The 2021 European Railway Award was presented to the iLINT project. Resulting from a highly fruitful collaboration between Alstom and the public transport authority of Lower Saxony (LNVG), the Coradia iLINT is the world’s first passenger train for mainline operation powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. It is also a prove that a completely emission-free and digital railway system is possible.

Meeting with Mr. Lopour of the European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency, 15 January 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Daniel Lopour, Market Development Officer at the European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency. During the meeting Mr. Ruete learned about the current status and actions of EGNSS adoption in non-safety critical applications, including  asset management, cargo monitoring, passenger and traffic management information systems, and step-wise approach towards EGNSS adoption in safety critical applications, including the outcome of the CBA, R&D support and ERTMS change request.

Meeting with DG MOVE on FRMCS, 15 January 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference DG MOVE experts and learned about the progress on drafting FRMCS specifications, timeline for product availability and possible migration scenarios.

Meeting with Mr. Liégeois of DG MOVE, 15 January 2021

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Eddy Liégeois, the new head of unit DG MOVE B1. During the meeting Mr. Ruete informed Mr. Liégeois about the current state of play as regards the ERTMS deployment in Europe, both trackside and on-board. He also outlined identified key challenges and possible solutions to address them, including his views on the possible amendments to the TEN-T Regulation, EDP and CCS TSI revision process. Furthermore, overall organisational processes have been discussed.

Meeting with the Czech Authorities on the ERTMS deployment on regional lines, 5 January 2021

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with the Czech authorities regarding regional lines safety and Czech plans to address this issue, including via ERTMS deployment. 

Conference of the Czech railway industry, 16 December 2020

Mr. Ruete addressed the participants of the conference of the Czech railway industry organised by AZD Praha. In his speech Mr. Ruete pointed out that Czechia is one of the frontrunners in the European Union as regards ERTMS deployment both on-board and trackside and stressed that Czechia has one of the most ambitious deployment plans among the Member States. Mr. Ruete emphasised that ERTMS will become the backbone of the future digital rail but any evolution should take place in a non-disruptive way.

Meeting with the French authorities on the ERTMS deployment in nodes, 15 December 2020

Mr. Ruete attended a meeting with the representatives of the French Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the SNCF Réseau that was dedicated to the issue of the ERTMS deployment in the major railway nodes, and especially the additional complexity and costs; definition of nodes and possible use of unit contributions.

Rail Freight Day, 10 December 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the Rail Freight Day. During the event, Mr. Ruete learned about sector’s position on benefits stemming from the implementation of the key forthcoming innovations, like ERTMS, Automatic Train Operation, Digital Automatic Coupling or freight terminal automation and expectations related to the full implementation of both the 4th Railway Package and the 2022 CCS TSI revision.

Meeting with ERA on transition and migration, 4 December 2020

Mr. Ruete met via a video conference representatives of ERA and DG MOVE. During the appointment, Mr. Ruete learned about the current state of play as regards transition and migration in the context of the CCS TSI revision.

Meeting with the Italian authorities on the retrofitting strategy, 3 December 2020

Mr. Ruete met Mr. Fabio Senesi from RFI, responsible of National ERTMS Programme in Italy. Mr. Senesi presented the progress in ERTMS deployment in Italy; plans for the future deployment and the national retrofitting strategy. The ensuing discussion focused on the possible approaches to centralise the retrofitting of prototypes at EU level.

ERTMS Policy Board meeting on FRMCS, 1 December 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the ERTMS Policy Board meeting that gathered representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, INEA and S2R. The meeting was dedicated to the issue of the FRMCS. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: scope of the envisaged changes; timing of the deployment and management of the FRMCS.

Meeting on the System Pillar and the 2022 CCS TSI revision, 30 November 2020

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in a meeting with DG MOVE, ERA and S2R aimed at discussing next steps on the System Pillar design and implementation; progress on CCS TSI revision; train positioning; timing for the FRMCS readiness and Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC).

Meeting with Mr. Pinte of The Signalling Company, 27 November 2020

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Stanislas Pinte, the CEO of The Signalling Company, and Mr. Freek De Witte, his advisor. Mr. Pinte provided update on his activities, including recent achievements in developing new products and outlined plans for the months to come

Meeting with Mr. Fitch of DG MOVE, 26 November 2020

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Keir Fitch, Head of Unit “Rail Safety and Interoperability” at DG MOVE. During the meeting, Mr. Ruete discussed current issues related to the ERTMS deployment.

Meeting with SBB, 26 November 2020

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference representatives of SBB. In the meeting, Mr. Ruete presented the current state of play as regards ERTMS deployment in the European Union and pointed out to the main challenges for a successful rollout. The discussion focused on the ongoing work on the CCS system framework; the development of the System Pillar within the successor to S2R and possible involvement of Swiss authorities in this process.

European Coordinators’ virtual seminar, 25 November 2020

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in the European Coordinators’ virtual seminar. The Coordinators’ seminar was dedicated to the revision of the TEN-T Regulation.

Meeting with Mr. Ruijters of DG MOVE, 23 November 2020

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Herald Ruijters, Director of the Directorate “Investment, Innovative & Sustainable Transport” at DG MOVE. During the meeting Mr. Ruete discussed among others, the issue of ERTMS deployment deadlines for core and comprehensive networks; deadline for decommissioning of class B system; ERTMS deployment on last miles and access to terminals.

Joint PRIME and RU Dialogue plenary session, 19 November 2020

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in the joint PRIME and RU Dialogue plenary session. In his intervention, Mr. Ruete informed the participants about the latest state of play as regards the deployment, both on-board and trackside, and stressed that that in the coming years there will be a move from isolated “ERTMS islands” to commercial significant networks equipped with ERTMS as more and more Member States opt for network-wide deployment. Furthermore, Mr. Ruete explained that for Infrastructure Managers, deployment of ERTMS coupled with decommissioning of class B systems could result in strong benefits. Mr. Ruete concluded that ERTMS should become now a standard equipment of the rolling stock for any international rail freight operator and all new locomotives should be equipped with ERTMS.

Digital Transport Days, 18 November 2020

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in the Digital Transport Days. In his speech, he pointed out that ERTMS stands for the European Rail Traffic Management System, as it was initially planned decades ago. However, now, ERTMS encompasses the ETCS, being the signalling and control component, and GSM-R, being the radio system, only. The rail traffic management goes beyond what is currently laid down in the technical specifications for interoperability. Mr. Ruete emphasized that ERTMS should and will become the backbone of the future digital railways. There is a need to define the game changers and the comprehensive architecture of the rail system, including traffic management system, where ERTMS will play a pivotal role.  This will allow less infrastructure trackside and more intelligence on-board. The objectives set out in the European Green Deal,  and in particular the expected contribution of railways in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, will trigger the acceleration of ERTMS deployment both on-board and trackside and technological quantum leap in the next decade.

ERTMS Platform Coordination subgroup meeting, 17 November 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the ERTMS Platform Coordination subgroup, where he met representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, CER, UNISIG, EUG, EIM, UIC, UNITEL and DMT.  During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: the outcome of the retrofitting workshop held by ERA; revision of the CCS TSI regarding the National Implementation Plan requirements; study on on-board and infrastructure deployment strategies; CCS System Pillar and challenge of upholding compatibility.

Meeting with representatives of DG MOVE on the radio communication system, 13 November 2020

Mr. Ruete took part via a videoconference in a meeting with representatives of DG MOVE. The discussion focused on the state of play of GSM-R deployment, progress on preparation of FRMCS (the future radio communication system) specifications: possible transitional strategies and periods; industrial capacity and related deployment costs.

Meeting between DG Hololei and DG MOVE staff, 12 November 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting between Mr. Henrik Hololei, Director-General of DG MOVE, with DG MOVE staff. The discussion centred on the current and forthcoming Commission transport policy issues.

Meeting on revision of NIP requirements, 11 November 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting between DG MOVE and ERA on revision of NIP requirements. The discussion centred on possible amendments to the CCS TSI and in particular, the scope, dates, migration and decommissioning strategies.

Railway Interoperability and Safety Committee Meeting (RISC), 10 November 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the 89th Railway Interoperability and Safety Committee Meeting (RISC). The meeting was dedicated among others to the following issues: 2022 CCS TSI revision; derogation requests and implementation of ESC and RSC.

Discussion on radio deployment strategy on the RALP, 9 November 2020

Mr. Ruete attended the discussion of experts on the radio deployment strategy on the Rail Freight Corridor Rhine-Alpine. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: common understanding of technical and strategic requirements; definition of a joint migration strategy GSMR via GPRS to FRMCS; coordination of GPRS and FRMCS roll-out; funding of on-board radio module upgrades.

The Belgian Rail Freight Forum, 30 October 2020

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in the Belgian Rail Freight Forum. In his intervention, Mr. Ruete stressed the role of ERTMS as the backbone of the digitalized railways. Mr. Ruete indicated that there is a positive business case for the ERTMS deployment at the system level but there is a need to support railway undertakings. Furthermore, Mr. Ruete emphasized a need to better co-ordinate both the onboard and trackside ERTMS implementation.

RailTech Infra Forum, 28 October 2020

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in the RailTech Infra Forum. This major conference gathered some keynote speakers and was dedicated to the modernization of the European rail infrastructure. During the conference Mr. Ruete presented the conclusions of his work plan, stressed the main challenges related to the ERTMS deployment and answered questions from the public.

Meeting with ERA on trackside approval, 27 October 2020

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference ERA experts who explained the current state of play as regards the trackside approval under the 4th Railway Package. In particular, Mr. Ruete learned about challenges related to this new procedure, progress on the requests submitted and the project pipeline.

RFC RALP ERTMS Task Force meeting, 26 October 2020

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference ERTMS experts from the Rail Freight Corridor Rhine-Alpine gathered in a Task Force. In the meeting, Mr. Ruete learned among others about the vehicle authorisation process; deployment planning; on-board financing and radio deployment strategies.

S2R Innovation Days, 23 October 2020

Mr. Ruete together with Mr. Josef Dopplebauer, Executive Director of ERA and Mr. Carlo Borghini, Executive Director of Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking took part in a podium discussion that was focussed on the challenges related to the ERTMS deployment and the new role of ERA as the system authority.

UNIFE policy board meeting, 22 October 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the UNIFE Policy Board meeting. Mr. Ruete described the current state of play of the ERTMS deployment and challenges related to the successful implementation of the dual on-board strategy, including the industrial capacity and the uptake of the game changers by the sector.

Meeting with the Czech Authorities on delays of the ETCS projects, 21 October 2020

Mr. Ruete took part via a videoconference in a meeting with the Czech authorities regarding delays in ERTMS deployment on some lines. Mr. Ruete explained the notification obligations stemming from the EDP, especially as regards informing the Commission of both delays in putting ERTMS in operation and commissioning lines already equipped, and the procedure to follow.

European Coordinators meeting on RRF, 19 October 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting of the TEN-T Coordinators dedicated to the issue of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), including the main elements of RRF, state of play of the inter-institutional negotiations, ongoing preparatory work and implications of RRF for the transport infrastructure.

Meeting on CCS governance framework, safety and operational harmonisation, 16 October 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with DG MOVE, ERA and S2R dedicated to the CCS governance framework, safety and operational harmonisation. During the meeting, Mr. Ruete discussed in particular the issue of establishing the System Pillar and progress on the CCS TSI revision.

DMT Quarterly Meeting, Brussels, 15 October 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the quarterly meeting between DG MOVE and the ERTMS Deployment Management Team (DMT). The objective of the meeting was to review the progress of ongoing DMT tasks, including information and communication activities; provision of economic expertise; monitoring of ERTMS deployment and technical follow up of ERTMS projects.

Joint EIM Technical Steering Group and Policy and Management Committee, 14 October 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the Joint EIM Technical Steering Group and the Policy and Management Committee. During the meeting, Mr. Ruete presented the main conclusions of his work plan, learned about the status of the rollout plans in several Member States and had a discussion on the existing and envisaged financial instruments, including unit contributions.

Meeting with Ms. van Veldhoven of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, 12 October 2020

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Ms. Stientje van Veldhoven, the Dutch Secretary of State for Infrastructure and Water Management. During the meeting among others the following issues were discussed: state of play of the Dutch deployment; possible deployment of ERTMS on the regional Northern lines; decommissioning of Class B systems; progress on the CEF co-funded rolling stock projects; Recovery Resilience Facility (RRF) as a source for ERTMS funding; 2022 CCS TSI revision; availability of products and industrial capacity.

European Coordinators’ Seminar, 22 September 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the seminar of the TEN-T Coordinators. At the meeting Mr. Jan Grauls and the former European Coordinator for ERTMS, Mr. Karel Vinck presented the initiative "European Year of Rail 2021". A series of events and campaigns will promote rail in 2021 as a sustainable, innovative and safe mode of transport. After that point Ms. Elisabeth Werner, Director for Land Transport at DG MOVE, provided an overview of the Commission rail policy and the upcoming initiatives. This event gave also an opportunity to exchange views between the Coordinators and with the European Commission on the current issues.

Meeting on longer term strategy for the CCS system, 22 September 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with DG MOVE, ERA and S2R aimed at discussing next steps for a longer term strategy for the CCS system, safety and operational harmonization. The discussion built on the ongoing work of the CCS system framework and the development of the System Pillar within the successor to S2R and focused among others on the definition of the longer term strategy aims, roles and resources needed for their implementation and communication process with the stakeholders.

Ministerial conference on innovative rail transport, 21 September 2020

Mr. Ruete attended the virtual Ministerial conference on innovative rail transport organized in the framework of the German Presidency. During the event that was attended by representatives of all Member States at the ministerial level both the Minister Scheuer of Germany and Commissioner Valean referred to the Berlin Declaration and in this context emphasized the crucial role of ERTMS. In his speech Mr. Ruete highlighted need for faster ERTMS deployment and for the industrialization of the process; stressed the importance of equipping the rolling stock with ERTMS and decommissioning of class B systems trackside; emphasized the opportunity of the RRF for the ERTMS deployment and concluded by underlining the need to prepare well the future evolution of the European CCS system.

CER Management Committee Meeting, 21 September 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the CER Management Committee. In the meeting Mr. Ruete presented his work plan and outlined main challenges related to the deployment of ERTMS. In the ensuing discussion Mr. Ruete answered questions of the participants and exchanged views on key factors determining the successful deployment of ERTMS in Europe.
 
Stakeholders’ Platform on ERTMS Game Changers, 17 September 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the meeting of the Stakeholders’ Platform on ERTMS Game Changers where among other the following topics were discussed: progress on pre-assessment of change requests; objectives and scope of the 2020 CCS TSI revision, including FRMCS and train positioning.

Meeting with Mr. Borghini of S2R, 14 September 2020

Mr. Ruete had a teleconference with Mr. Carlo Borghini, Executive Director of S2R. During the conversation Mr. Ruete discussed the current works of S2R, progress in preparation of the future CCS governance framework, including the system and innovation pillars, and the state of play of FRMCS.

Meeting with Mr. Pinte of The Signalling Company, 11 September 2020

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference Mr. Stanislas Pinte, the CEO of The Signalling Company, and Mr. Freek De Witte, his advisor. Mr. Pinte provided update on his activities, pointed out to recent achievements in developing new products and outlined plans for the next years.

ERTMS Platform Coordination Subgroup, 8 September 2020

Mr. Ruete took part via a videoconference in the ERTMS Platform Coordination subgroup, where he met representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, CER, UNISIG, UNIFE, EUG, EIM, S2R, and DMT. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: the results of the retrofitting workshop; the outcomes of the testing and validation workgroup; the conclusions of the compatibility and error correction subgroup; MFF budget and the single basic act for all the JU and the on-board funding and financing study that was published by Commission services. In this context, Mr. Ruete underlined that this report is of key importance for accelerated fleet equipment and in particular for increasing the necessary industrial capacity. Furthermore, Mr. Ruete emphasized the need to take additional steps, including to map and assess workshop capacities.

RFC RALP ERTMS Task Force meeting, 7 September 2020

Mr. Ruete met via a videoconference ERTMS experts from the Rail Freight Corridor Rhine-Alpine gathered in a Task Force. In the meeting Mr. Ruete learned about the latest state of play as regards progress in the ERTMS deployment on the RALP Corridor; updates on timing of ERTMS commissioning; challenges related to the vehicle authorization and harmonization of the DMI language. Mr. Ruete explained that the ERTMS deployment is in a crucial moment and pointed out to new opportunities for ERTMS deployment under the new Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

PRIME sub-group on financing, 7 September 2020

Mr. Ruete attended via a videoconference the PRIME sub-group on financing. The meeting was attended by a dozen representatives of the Infrastructure Managers. At the beginning of the meeting Mr. Ruete got acquainted with the latest state of play of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial capacity of Infrastructure Managers. Then, DG MOVE presented ERTMS funding possibilities and results of support under the current CEF framework; and the post-2021 financial framework. In the ensuing discussion Mr. Ruete exchanged views and learned about the position of Infrastructure Managers on the suitability of blending calls and unit costs approach for ERTMS support; ring-fencing of resources for ERTMS in national multiannual plans; and considerations for introduction of ERTMS differentiated track access charges.

Deutsche Bahn Competition Report, 2 September 2020

Mr. Ruete participated in a presentation given by the Deutsche Bahn on its competition report that took place virtually. In the event Mr. Ruete learned more about the situation in the rail transport in Germany and the planned infrastructure investments.

Meeting with the Finnish authorities, 1 September 2020

Mr. Ruete participated via a videoconference in a meeting between the Finnish authorities, represented by Mr. Janne Hauta, the Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and DG MOVE services. The discussion focused on the issue of automation and digitalization of railways in the EU. Mr. Ruete discussed in particular the new Finnish strategy related to ERTMS rollout on the whole rail network coupled with the FRMCS deployment.

CEF Transport committee meeting, 16 July 2020

Mr Ruete took part in the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Committee, during which, among others, the progress in implementation of CEF transport projects was discussed. Furthermore, the Committee adopted a decision on CEF co-funding for both prototypes under the reflow call and the rolling stock under the Blending Facility. Mr Ruete participated also in the discussion on future funding under CEF2.

Meeting with Mr Citroën of UNIFE and Mr Van Liefferinge of UNISIG, 10 July 2020

Mr Ruete met via a videoconference Mr Philippe Citroën, Director General of UNIFE and Mr Michel Van Liefferinge, General Manager of UNISIG. In the meeting Mr Ruete outlined the main conclusions of his work plan and discussed possible follow-up measures for the initiatives proposed in this document. Mr Ruete mentioned that additional funding might be made available in the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Facility but at the same time emphasized that this must be matched by significant increase in industrial capacity. Furthermore, Mr Ruete discussed new actions stemming from the various Platform subgroups and the future CCS governance framework, including the leading role of S2R2.

Meeting with Mr Bours of ERTMS Solutions, 9 July 2020

Mr Ruete met via a videoconference Mr Joseph Bours, the CEO of ERTMS Solutions, a small, innovative Belgian company active in the domain of railway testing, maintenance and systems integration. Mr Ruete learned about the products of ERTMS Solutions, existing market niches and challenges and opportunities related to operating as a small company.

Meeting with EIM ERTMS experts, 8 July 2020

Mr Ruete met via a videoconference EIM ERTMS experts. In the meeting Mr Ruete presented his work plan and exchanged views on several issues related to the accelerated ERTMS deployment, additional funding, industrial capacity and decommissioning of class B systems.

Meeting with Mr Ruesen of EUG and Mr Wiebe of CER, Brussels, 23 June 2020

Mr Ruete met Mr Michel Ruesen, the Managing Director of EUG, and Mr Enno Wiebe, Technical Director of CER. Mr Ruete presented his work plan and exchanged views on several ERTMS related issues described in this document. Furthermore, Mr Ruete discussed follow-up measures and possible meetings with EUG and CER members.

Meeting with Mr Lemaître, Brussels, 23 June 2020

Mr Ruete met Mr Marc Lemaître, Director-General of DG REGIO. Mr Ruete shared his experience gathered during his mandate until present and outlined the content of his work plan. During the meeting potential synergies between DG REGIO and DG MOVE were discussed, including the issue of EU funding for retrofitting, enabling conditions, follow up of the Member States’ obligation to install ERTMS on railway infrastructure projects receiving financial support from European funds and decommissioning of class B systems.

European Coordinators’ Seminar, 18 June 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference the seminar of the TEN-T Coordinators. Commissioner Valean joined the event to discuss with the Coordinators their current activities and answer questions on CEF, TEN-T revision and the recovery package. In a second part, the Commission presented first results of the reflow call and an analysis of the recovery package from the transport perspective.

RailTech Infra Forum, 18 June 2020

Mr Ruete participated via a videoconference in the RailTech Infra Forum. This major conference gathered some keynote speakers and was dedicated to the modernization of the European rail infrastructure. During the conference Mr Ruete presented his work plan, stressed the main challenges related to the ERTMS deployment and answered questions from the public.

Meeting with Mr Pinte of The Signalling Company, 16 June 2020

Mr Ruete met via a videoconference Mr Stanislas Pinte the CEO of The Signalling Company, a Belgium SME active in the retrofitting domain. Mr Pinte provided update on his activities and outlined plans for the next 2 years. Mr Ruete presented the main conclusions of his work plan and explained the future role of S2R2 for defining the CCS architecture.

Meeting with MEP Dalunde, 11 June 2020

Mr Ruete met via a videoconference Mr Jakop Dalunde, the Swedish MEP. During the meeting Mr Ruete referred to the opportunities of the European Green Deal, presented his work plan and explained the main challenges related to a successful deployment of ERTMS in Europe.

Meeting with Mr Fitch of DG MOVE, 10 June 2020

Mr Ruete met via a videoconference Mr Keir Fitch, Head of Unit Rail Safety and Interoperability at DG MOVE. During the meeting Mr Ruete discussed current issues related to the ERTMS deployment and possible measures aimed at dissemination of the work plan.

Interview with Mr Engelmann of railiable GmbH, 10 June 2020

Mr Ruete was interviewed via a videoconference by Mr Jens Engelmann, Managing Director of railiable GmbH, acting on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Transport. The interview centered on the advantages and disadvantages of the smartrail4.0“ (SR40) concept that is at present being developed in Switzerland.

ERTMS Platform Coordination Subgroup, 9 June 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference the ERTMS Platform Coordination subgroup, where he met representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, CER, UNISIG, UNIFE, EUG, EIM, S2R, and DMT. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: the objective of the compatibility and error correction subgroup, the scope of the retrofitting workshop, objectives for the testing and validation subgroup, compatibility issues and CCS governance framework.

RFC RALP ERTMS Task Force meeting, 8 June 2020

Mr Ruete met via a videoconference ERTMS experts from the Rail Freight Corridor Rhine-Alpine gathered in a Task Force where he learned about the latest state of play as regards progress in the ERTMS deployment on the RALP Corridor, updates on timing of ERTMS commissioning and recent challenges. Mr Ruete presented his work plan and answered questions of the participants.

RISC Committee, 8 June 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference the Railway Interoperability and Safety Committee (RISC) Meeting where he followed the presentations and ensuing discussion on the CCS TSIs package 2022 and the impact of revised TSI on existing projects.

Meeting with Mr Andi, of Europe, Middle East & Africa at Hitachi Rail, 4 June 2020

Mr Ruete met via a video conference Mr Christian Andi, President Europe, Middle East and Africa at Hitachi Rail. Mr Andi presented the latest state of play as regards ERTMS deployment in Europe from Hitachi Rail perspective. Mr Ruete presented his work plan and stressed the issue of possible additional funding at EU level and industrial capacity.

ERTMS Platform Board Meeting, 3 June 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference the ERTMS Stakeholders Platform Board Meeting that gathered representatives of all stakeholders involved in ERTMS deployment. During the meeting among others, the following points were discussed: CCS governance framework document drafted by the EC, ERA, S2R and the sector in the ERTMS stakeholders’ Platform coordination group and the future governance structure of S2R2. Mr Ruete presented for the first time his work plan that was also sent on 3rd June to the EU Ministers of Transport and the European Parliament. His main five messages were the following ones: “Now is the time to accelerate ERTMS”, “Trackside: think network”, “On-board: risks going “overboard”, “There will be more money but this needs to be spent wisely”, “We need to prepare our future together”.

Preparatory meeting prior to the ERTMS Platform Board, 28 May 2020

Mr Ruete took part via a videoconference in a meeting of the Commission services aimed at the preparation of the ERTMS Stakeholders Platform. During the meeting the main points of the Platform agenda where thoroughly discussed and wording of the working documents fine-tuned.

European Coordinators’ Seminar, 18 May 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference the seminar of the TEN-T Coordinators. This event gave the opportunity to exchange views between the Coordinators and with the European Commission on the current files; including the Commission proposals for the MFF 2021-2027 and for the Recovery and Resilience Fund, impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the transport in the European Union and the initiatives taken by the Commission and Member States to address this crisis.

Meeting on CCS governance framework, 14 May 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with Ms Elisabeth Werner, Director of the Directorate Land transport at DG MOVE, Mr Josef Doppelbauer, Executive Director of ERA and Mr Carlo Borghini, Executive Director of S2R. During the meeting the main principles of the future CCS governance framework, including the system and innovation pillars were discussed and agreed by the Commission services.

Meeting on CCS governance framework, 13 May 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with DG MOVE where the principles of the future CCS governance framework were discussed and the meeting of 14 May prepared.

Meeting on CCS governance framework, 5 May 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with DG MOVE and S2R where the CCS governance framework was discussed, including organization of the so-called system pillar, links between the system and invitation pillars, funding and the role of the Commission.

Meeting on CCS governance framework, 30 April 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with DG MOVE, ERA, S2R, EUG, CER, EPPTOLA, PRORAIL, SNCF, UNIFE, AZD, SBB dedicated to the CCS governance framework and arrangements at EU level. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss the governance note and agree in more detail on the necessary arrangements for S2R2.

ERTMS Platform Coordination Subgroup meeting, 28 April 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference the ERTMS Platform Coordination subgroup, where he met representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, CER, UNISIG, UNIFE, EUG, EIM, S2R, EPPTOLA and DMT. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: creation of an error correction subgroup, objectives for the testing and validation subgroup, retrofitting assistance, requirements of the National Implementation Plans, STM availability and development of class B functionalities.

Meeting on CCS governance framework, 28 April 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with DG MOVE where he discussed the issue of the CCS governance framework, consistency with the legal basis, impact assessment and dissemination activities.

European Coordinators’ Seminar, 24 April 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference the seminar of the TEN-T Coordinators. This event gave the opportunity to exchange views between the Coordinators and with the European Commission on the current issues including the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the Coordinators’ work, measures taken by INEA following the crisis as regards the management of the CEF calls and grants, the role that TEN-T and CEF could play in the aftermath of the crisis and the Court of Auditors’ audit on the so-called flagship projects.

Meeting with Mr Nizet of Alstom, 24 April 2020

Mr Ruete met via a teleconference Jean-Marc Nizet, Vice President mainline Signalling of Alstom. Mr Ruete discussed several issues including the impact of the COVID-19, the scope of his work plan, progress on merger with Bombardier, backward compatibility challenge and the CSS TSI revision in 2022.

Meeting on CCS governance framework, 23 April 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with DG MOVE and S2R aimed at the future CCS governance framework. During the meeting the following points were among others discussed: governance architecture, S2R2 planning, legal basis and impact assessment

Meeting on CCS governance framework, 23 April 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference a meeting with DG MOVE, ERA, S2R, EUG, CER, EPPTOLA, PRORAIL, SNCF, UNIFE, AZD, SBB dedicated to the CCS governance framework vision and principles.

ERTMS Policy Board meeting, 30 March 2020

Mr Ruete attended via a videoconference the ERTMS Policy Board meeting that gathered representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, INEA and S2R. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: current state of play of ERTMS funding under CEF, including blending facility pipeline, baseline 2 OBU acceptance and CCS governance framework. As regards the last item Mr Ruete stated that it is very important that the roles of EC, S2R2, ERA are clearly defined from the outset.

Meeting with representatives of ExBo of the RFC NSMED, Brussels, 12 March 2020

Mr Ruete met representatives of the Executive Body of the Rail Freight Corridor North Sea – Mediterranean, including Mr Pierre Bodiaux, Chair of the ExBo of RFC NSM and Mr Michaël Dierickx, President of the Assembly. During the meeting among others the following topics were discussed: state of play of the ERTMS implementation in the RFC NSM countries, including on cross-border connections and equipping of the last miles, financing of the ERTMS deployment ERTMS deployment on-board, incompatibility issues of the ERTMS Baseline 2 and on-board Baseline 3.

Meeting with Mr Čech of Správa železnic, Brussels, 6 March 2020

Mr Ruete met Mr Radek Čech, the Director of the International Affairs Department at Správa železnic (the Czech railway infrastructure manager). During the meeting among others the following issues were discussed: the current state of play as regards ERTMS tracskisde deployment in Czechia and timeline for the ERTMS commissioning, creation of a national retrofitting scheme, cooperation with neighbouring Member States, funding of protoypes under CEF and identified compatibility issues between the on-board and trackside.

Rail Baltica Forum: “Connected Baltics in a Connected Europe” Brussels, 5 March 2020

Mr Ruete attended the annual Rail Baltica Forum attended by more than 100 stakeholders, where he took part in a panel discussion “European rail infrastructure megaprojects as contributors to cohesion, multi-modal integration, digitalisation and the European Green Deal” In his intervention, Mr Ruete stressed that the Rail Baltica as the largest high-speed green field project in Europe can become a showcase of the digital railway and in this context he emphasized the role of the ERTMS.

Meeting with MEP Bilbao Barandica, Brussels, 3 March 2020

Meeting with Ms Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, the Spanish MEP. During the meeting Mr Ruete presented the current state of play as regards the ERTMS rollout in the European Union, explained main challenges related to a successful deployment of ERTMS, stressed the importance of decommissioning of class B systems, emphasized the need of public support for retrofitting and renewal of the fleet. Ms Bilbao Barandica underlined her support for ERTMS and accelerated deployment, expressed concerns about the authorization process, evoked idea of a “European prototype” and referred to the enhanced industrial capacity.

ERTMS Policy Board meeting, Brussels, 2 March 2020

Mr Ruete attended the ERTMS Policy Board meeting that gathered representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, INEA and S2R. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: CCS and rail digitalization development, CCS TSI 2022 planning and ERTMS within TEN-T revision. Mr Ruete updated the members of the Policy Board on the content and publication timing of his work plan.

Meeting with DG MOVE, Brussels, 29 January 2020

Mr Ruete met the staff of DG MOVE Rail Safety and Interoperability Unit. During the meeting Mr Ruete presented his plans for 2020 and learned about the main ongoing ERTMS related issues and the forthcoming events planned for 2020.

Meeting with Ms Heiming of EIM, Brussels, 27 January 2020

Mr Ruete met Ms Monika Heiming, Executive Director of EIM. During the meeting Mr Ruete explained among others current challenges related to the ERTMS deployment, both on-board and track-side, the Commission policies in the domain of railways and EU budget priorities.

Meeting with Polish authorities, Warsaw, 22 January 2020

Mr Ruete met Polish authorities and stakeholders involved in the ERTMS deployment, including Ms. Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak, Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy, Mr Andrzej Bittel, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Infrastructure. During the meeting Mr Ruete presented the current state of play of ERTMS deployment in Europe and learned about the ERTMS implementation in Poland, both track side and on-board, ERTMS trackside approval and operation, the impact of ERTMS implementation on the Polish railway market, retrofitting and renewal needs and costs and benefits for different stakeholders.

Meeting with Mr des Dorides of EGNSS, Brussels, 17 January 2020

Mr Ruete met Mr Carlo des Dorides, Executive Director of the European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency. During the meeting Mr Ruete exchanged views on how the satellite navigation might revolutionize rail transport and contribute to accelerated deployment of ERTMS. Mr Ruete learned also about the current state of play as regards the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) that is satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) used to improve the performance of global navigation satellite systems.

Meeting with the Military Staff of the European Union, Brussels, 15 January 2020

Mr Ruete met representatives of the Military Staff of the European Union (EUMS). EUMS is the Directorate-General of the European Union's External Action Service (EEAS) that contributes to the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy by providing advice to the High Representative and commanding operations. During the meeting Mr Ruete emphasized the importance of ERTMS for the military mobility, the current state of play of ERTMS deployment and the need to include ERTMS as one of the dual-use requirements of the military mobility.

Visit to Alstom, Charleroi, 10 January 2020

Mr Ruete met representatives of Alstom Group, including Mr Jean-Marc Nizet, Vice President mainline Signalling of Alstom, Mr Bernard Belvaux, Managing Director Benelux; Mr Xavier Champaud, Managing Director Site of Charleroi, Mr Vincent Passau, Director of Alstom ERTMS Solution. During the meeting Mr Ruete visited the Charelroi site and discussed among others the following main points: train integration, testing and validation, software updates, STM availability, introduction of game changers and industrial capacity.

Meeting with Ms Werner of DG MOVE, Brussels, 7 January 2020

Mr Ruete met Ms Elisabeth Werner, Director of the Directorate Land transport at DG MOVE. During the meeting Mr Ruete presented his activity in 2019, discussed his plans for the forthcoming months and exchanged views on possible dissemination and communication channels.

Meeting with Mr Hololei, Director-General of DG MOVE, Brussels, 11 December 2019

As a follow up to the ERTMS conference (#CCRCC2019) that took place in Valenciennes early that year, Mr Ruete met Henrik Hololei, Director-General of DG MOVE. During the meeting that was also attended by DG MOVE staff involved in the ERTMS deployment among others the following strategic issues were discussed: deadlines for class b system decommissioning, funding of retrofitting from European funds, introduction of game changers and the 2022 TSI revision.

Coordinators seminar, Brussels, 10 December 2019

Mr Ruete attended the Seminar of the TEN-T Coordinators that took place at the INEA premises in Brussels. This event gave the opportunity to exchange views between the Coordinators and with the European Commission on the current files; including the CEF2, revision of TEN-T Guidelines, streamlining and military mobility. During the meeting, the CEOs of the major tunnels recently built or currently under construction in Europe shared with the Coordinators their main lessons learned.

28th meeting of the Rail Traffic Steering Committee of the German Transport Forum, Berlin, 25 November 2019

Mr Ruete attended the 28th meeting of the Rail Traffic Steering Committee of the German Transport Forum.  The German Transport Forum is an association of more than 170 German and European companies. The Forum constitutes a discussion platform for all relevant stakeholders for issues related to the improvement of transport conditions. The event was attended by some 50 representatives of business and politics. Mr Ruete gave a presentation on the digital railways in Europe and learned from Mr Enak Ferlemann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, about the envisaged federal funding for the ERTMS rollout trackside and from Mr Ronald Pofalla, Member of the Board of the Deutsche Bahn about the DB plans as regards deployment and the needs for additional public resources for the rolling stock retrofitting.

Meeting with Mr Gerhard Greiter of Siemens, Berlin, 25 November 2019

Mr Ruete met with representatives of Siemens: Mr Gerhard Greiter, Mr Jürgen Schölzel, and Mr Jens Nordmann. Mr Ruete discussed among others the issue of industrial capacity, modularisation, definitions of outstanding interfaces, the existing market barriers in some Member States, and possible solution to accelerate the ERTMS deployment in Germany and Europe as a whole.

EIM Dinner, Brussels, 18 November 2019

Mr Ruete attended an annual dinner organised by the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM), an association grouping rail infrastructure managers in the EU and the EEA. During the event Mr Ruete had a chance to discuss with the stakeholders the current state of play of ERTMS deployment in different Member States and explain the challenges encountered in this process.

REGIO connectivity matrix, Brussels, 11 November 2019

Mr Ruete met policy officers from the Urban and Regional Policy Directorate-General in charge of transport at the REGIO premises in Brussels. Mr Ruete presented among others the progress in ERTMS deployment, legal tools allowing for the monitoring of the process, the role of the European Union Agency for Railways as the ERTMS system authority, ERTMS business case, CEF funding, state aid dimension and challenges for the future. DG REGIO shared its experience, and the plans for the next financial perspective. It was agreed that a more close cooperation between DG MOVE and DG REGIO is needed to exploit fully the existing synergy potentials. 

Meeting with Mr McFadden, Head of Technical Policy & Strategy Digital Railway, London, 7 November 2019

Mr Ruete met UK experts dealing with ERTMS deployment in England and Wales, Mr Pat McFadden, Head of Technical Policy and Strategy; Mr Jon Hayes, Senior Programme Engineering Manager; and Mr Niall LeMage of Department of Transport. Mr Ruete learned about the UK experience with ERTMS deployment and plans for the future, potential to reduce digital signalling costs through innovation and the UK business case.  UK authorities presented also the automated train operation (ATO) project over level 2 ERTMS on the Thames Link.

Digital Rail Revolution conference, London, 7 November 2019

Mr Ruete attended Digital Rail Revolution conference that gathered several hundred participants from the sector. Mr Ruete gave a speech entitled “ERTMS - next steps to create a seamless, Europe-wide railway system”. He his intervention Mr Ruete emphasised among others the fact that equipping just a corridor does not bring about sufficient benefits and there is a business case for ERTMS deployment on all Core Network Corridors at the system level but not necessarily for each section of the network and each railway undertaking. Mr Ruete underlined that decommissioning of class B systems trackside will bring about significant maintenance savings for infrastructure managers, especially if the deployment is based on level 2 or level 3.

Deutsche Bahn Competition Report, Brussels, 6 November 2019

Mr Ruete participated in a presentation given by the Deutsche Bahn on its competition report that took place at the Representation of the State of Baden-Württemberg to the European Union in Brussels. In the event Mr Ruete discussed with the stakeholders the current state of play as regards ERTMS deployment and learned more about the situation in the rail transport in Germany and the planned infrastructure investments.

Second Eurasian Connectivity and Industrial Cooperation Forum, Brussels, 6 November 2019

Mr Ruete attended the Second Eurasian Connectivity and Industrial Cooperation Forum co-organized by FERRMED. In the event Mr Ruete gave a speech, in which he depicted the current state of play of the ERTMS rollout. He indicated that the deployment is gradually moving from the stage of ERTMS islands to continuous longer sections and even networks. In this context he gave the example of the line from Brest (Malaszewicze) to Frankfurt/Oder in Poland, being of key interest for FERRMED, which should be equipped with ERTMS by 2023. As regards the rolling stock, Mr Ruete pointed out that there is a need for a consolidated view to gauge the industrial capacity and retrofitting needs, address bottlenecks, ring-fence sufficient public financing, address the state aid issue, attract private financing, mobilize smaller railway undertakings, identify prototypes and promote standard solutions.

Meeting with JASPERS, Brussels, 05 November 2019

Mr Ruete met representatives of JASPERS involved in ERTMS projects: Mr Alan Lynch, Head of Division, Mr Alberto González Sánchez, CEF & TEN-T Coordinator; Mr Lothar Zeller and Mr György Bessenyei, ERTMS Horizontal Priority Coordinators. JASPERS is a facility established by the European Commission and EIB with a view to helping Member States prepare mature projects funded by the European funds. Mr Ruete learned about the tasks of JASPERS and project assessment steps adopted by JASPERS in ERTMS related projects. Mr Ruete shared also his experience and vision with respect to ERTMS deployment in Europe.

Meeting with Mr Mosóczi, Budapest, 29 October 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr László Mosóczi, Hungarian State Secretary for Transport Policy. Mr Mosóczi was accompanied by representatives of the MAV and GYSEV and National Infrastructure Developing Company (NIF). In the meaning, Mr. Ruete was informed about the current situation regarding ERTMS rollout in Hungary, reasons for delays, lessons learned, unit costs, usage of CEF and ESIF funds, and experience with retrofitting of the rolling stock. Mr. Ruete explained the Hungarian authorities different approaches adopted by other Member States as regards ERTMS track side and on-board deployment.

Interview with Ms Sennels, Brussels, 22 October 2019

Mr Ruete had a phone interview with Ms Emma Sennels, student at the Danish School of Media and Journalism. During the conversation, Mr Ruete explained the role and activities of the European Coordinator for ERTMS. Then, Mr Ruete outlined the current state of play as regards ERTMS deployment in Europe. Furthermore, Mr Ruete presented more in detail the situation with respect to ERTMS rollout in the Scandinavian countries, including in Denmark.

Meeting with Mr Davenne, Brussels, 18 October 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr François Davenne, Director General of the International Union of Railways (UIC) and Mr Christian Chavanel, Rail System Director at UIC. Mr Davenne presented a UIC vision on the railway sector regulation in general and CCS evolution in particular. It was agreed that this issue is of paramount importance for the future of the rail sector and should be further discussed with all parties concerned, including DG MOVE, ERA and S2R.

Working lunch with the heads of the suppliers industry, Valenciennes, 17 October 2019

Further to the breakfast with suppliers in Dublin in June, Mr Ruete had, together with Mr Henrik Hololei, the Director-General of DG MOVE, a working lunch with the heads of the suppliers industry. The agenda of the meeting focussed on the CCS framework and on-board and trackside ERTMS deployment. As regards different initiatives in Europe aimed at the CCS development, Mr Ruete indicated that the industry should be more present in the current discussions as it is vital to make the future evolution a joint exercise. Furthermore, Mr Ruete stressed that there should be a focus on harmonised rules for ERTMS-only networks.

Meeting with Mr Desjardin, Bombardier Transportation, Valenciennes, 17 October 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Daniel Desjardins, Chairman of Bombardier Transportation; Mr Richard Hunter, President of Bombardier Rail Control Solutions and Mr Simon Knubel, Head of Global Strategy for Bombardier Transportation. The main topic of the discussion was the modular approach to ERTMS deployment and definition of standardised interfaces. Both sides agreed that this strategy would result in a faster technological development, lowering of the unit costs and opening of a bigger market.

ERTMS Stakeholders Platform – Board Meeting, Valenciennes, 16 October 2019

Mr Ruete attended the ERTMS Stakeholders Platform – Board Meeting that gathered representatives of all stakeholders involved in ERTMS deployment. During the meeting among others, the following points were discussed: progress against the Platform Declaration (2018), CCS System Framework, coordination of activities aimed at delivering the 2022 TSI revision, creation of a platform subgroup on game changers. In his intervention, Mr Ruete pleaded for a rapid and organised decommissioning of class B systems. In this context, he underlined that an end-date should be laid down at EU level.

Meeting with representatives of the DB and German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Valenciennes, 16 October 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Philippe Bührsch of DB and Mr Jörg Sump of the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. During the meeting, Mr Ruete learned about the decision on funding the ERTMS deployment trackside till 2030 and the current discussions on funding the retrofitting of the fleet operating in Germany. Furthermore, Mr Bührsch presented the state of play of CEF projects in Germany, especially as regards the cross-border sections and the Rhine-Alpine corridor. Mr Ruete explained the possible funding solutions at EU level, including the recent reflow call that was launched on the same day.

#CCRCC2019 – The ERTMS conference, Valenciennes, 15-17 October 2019

Mr Ruete attended the biggest ERTMS conference on ERTMS in Europe organised by ERA. In the conference Mr Ruete gave an opening speech, took part in plenary sessions and several workshops. In his speech, Mr Ruete outlined the current situation as regards EDP deployment, presented ERTMS business case, emphasised the need for assistance aimed at railway undertakings and stressed the importance of modularity and standardisation of deployment.
 
Digital Transport Days 2019, Helsinki, 7-8 October 2019

In the framework of the Digital Transport Days 2019 conference Mr Ruete attended a number of events, including a session on Digital and Automated Railways where he was one of the panellists together with Mr Lochman, the Executive Director of CER; Mr Borghini, Executive Director of Shift2Rail; Mr Citroën, UNIFE chairman and Mr Petraschek from ÖBB Staff Corporate R&D. Mr Ruete made among others comments on rail automation, satellite applications, 5G and artificial intelligence and their impact on enhanced rail services.

Meeting with Minister Marin, Helsinki, 7 October 2019

Mr Ruete together with Ms Trautmann met Ms Sanna Marin, the Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications. Ms Trautmann explained the value of the Finnish involvement in Rail Baltica Rail, also in view of the Corridor extension, and expressed her concern about the decision to put the Finnish participation on hold. Mr Ruete pointed out that Finnish involvement brings a valuable contribution to the equilibrium among the Baltic States and an additional credibility to the whole Rail Baltica project. Furthermore, Mr Ruete learned about the Finnish plans to deploy ERTMS, praised the nation-wide rollout of ERTMS, and declared his availability for any discussions on a possible strategy revision.

ERTMS Policy Board meeting, Brussels, 30 September 2019

Mr Ruete attended the ERTMS Policy Board meeting that gathered representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, INEA and S2R. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: update on CCS System Framework and preparation for the ERTMS Platform and ERA ERTMS conference.  In the discussion, Mr Ruete underlined that the digitalisation is a unique opportunity for harmonisation of operational methods. In this framework, he pointed out that it will be easier to introduce new rules then to align existing diverging national solutions.

CEF Committee, Brussels, 27 September 2019

Mr Ruete took part in the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Committee, during which, among others, the progress in CEF transport projects was discussed and a decision amending the multiannual work programme call was adopted. The amending decision includes a new reflow call that encompasses a dedicated allocation for prototypes in the amount of EUR 50 million. This envelop under the current CEF programme will help build up a robust pipeline for the serial retrofitting projects under the forthcoming post 2020 CEF2 programme. Earlier this year Mr Ruete initiated a discussion on a possible CEF support for prototypes.

Meeting with representative of SNCF and CER, Brussels, 25 September 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Philippe Bihouix, International Director, TFMM; Mr Stéphane Derlincourt, Freight Director, Combi-Express Fret SNCF; Ms Hélène Arfaoui, Director ERTMS, SNCF; Mr Didier Bernardon, Industrial Direction, Fret SNCF; Mr Antoine Rothey, Innovation Direction, Fret SNCF; Mr Libor Lochman, the Executive Director, CER; and Mr Piero Pietrucioli, Technical Advisor, CER. The discussion centred on the planned decommissioning of the signalling and control-command class B system MEMOR2+ in Luxembourg and the impact of this decision on the international rail freight with the neighbouring countries, including France. In this context, especially the repercussion on the so-called rolling motorway between Barcelona or Le Boulou and Bettembourg in Luxemburg was analysed. Mr Ruete learned that the rolling stock used on this section is not equipped with ERTMS yet and the funding mechanisms do not provide sufficient incentive as the unit costs set at the EU level are too low in comparison to retrofitting costs in France. Furthermore, at present the assistance provided under the blending facility might account for only some 15% of retrofitting costs. During the discussion possible funding and financing avenues were investigated, and solutions for effective lowering of unit costs in France. 

Meeting with Mr Amorós, Brussels, 25 September 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Joan Amorós i Pl, Executive Secretary General of FERRMED. FERRMED is a non-profit multi-sectorial association aimed at promoting the implementation of common technical railway standards – the so-called ‘FERRMED Standards’. One of the FERRMED standards is ERTMS (at least level 2). During the discussion Mr Amorós informed about the development of the Asia – EU rail freight traffic and on the progress of “FERRMED Study of traffic and modal shift optimization on the EU” that will be published by December 2020. Furthermore, Mr Amorós invited Mr Ruete to the FERRMED Conference: “The second Eurasian Connectivity and Industrial Cooperation Forum (Europe)” held on 6 November.

TRAKO Opening Ceremony, Gdansk, 24 September 2019

Mr Ruete attended TRAKO Opening Ceremony and Opening Debate „Railway 4.0 - Between Mission and Efficiency.” TRAKO is the largest and most prestigious rail industry meeting in Poland and one of the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. Mr Ruete could also visit the fair and its expositions.

Meeting with PKP, Gdansk, 24 September 2019

Mr Ruete met PKP representative in charge of ERTMS deployment: Mr Rafał Iwański, Deputy Director, Strategy office; Mr Marek Białek, Director, Office for Automatisation and Telecommunication; Mr Karol Gruszka, expert in charge of ETCS, Office for Automatisation and Telecommunication; Mr Wojciech Wydrzyński, Head of Unit, Office for Telematics; Mr Paweł Jaranowski, Project Director, Centre of Investments and Mr Tomasz Lachowicz and Mr Krzysztof Wojciechowicz from the PKP representation in Brussels. Mr Ruete learned about the current state of play of ERTMS deployment trackside in Poland, successes and challenges related with this process, and plans for the future. During the discussion Mr Ruete emphasised the advantages related to the nation-wide  deployment and the decommissioning of class B systems.

CER General Assembly, Gdansk, 23 September 2019

Mr Ruete, together with Mr Josef Doppelbauer, Executive Director of ERA, took part in the ERTMS panel organised in the framework of CER General Assembly. During the event, Mr Ruete presented the current state of play of ERTMS deployment in Europe and shared his vision for the future. After his speech, he also answered several questions from the audience.

ERTMS Platform Coordination subgroup, Brussels, 17 September 2019

Mr Ruete attended the ERTMS Platform Coordination subgroup, where he met representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, CER, UNISIG, UNIFE, EUG, EIM, S2R, EPPTOLA and DMT.  During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: ERTMS on board strategy; letter to Member States on Class B, STMs and notification obligations; CCS System Architecture; ERTMS Baseline 3 assessment of compatibility of trackside implementations; ERA ERTMS conference and ERTMS Platform Board preparation. As regards ERTMS on board strategy, Mr Ruete pointed out that in some Member States, infrastructure managers are identifying significant benefits stemming from the removal of their class B systems but are struggling on how to provide support to the railway undertakings that operate in these sections to retrofit their fleets with ERTMS.

Meeting with ERA, Brussels, 17 September 2019

Mr Ruete accompanied by DG MOVE colleagues in charge of ERTMS met Mr Felice Ferrari, Head of Operational Sector-Interoperability Unit at European Railway Agency (ERA), who gave a training on ERTMS technical issues. This meeting provided a unique opportunity for all participants to learn more about the functioning of ERTMS and the ERA’s vision on the forthcoming technical evolvement of ERTMS.

“Digital Rail for Germany - Current Developments ETCS” conference, Brussels, 10 July 2019

Following a meeting with Mr Pofalla in February, Mr Ruete attended a conference “Digital Rail for Germany - Current Developments ETCS” organised by DB. The event was attended by MEPs and some 50 stakeholders from across Europe. During the conference, Mr Ruete delivered a speech, acted as a moderator and wrapped-up the discussion. In his speech, Mr Ruete stressed the sense of urgency for railways. He then expressed his conviction that ERTMS will become the backbone of the future digital rail and pointed out that as regards ERTMS deployment it is not anymore the question of “if but “when” and “how.” He also underlined that consolidated view on retrofitting is important to gauge the industrial capacity, measure retrofitting needs, address bottlenecks, ring-fence sufficient public financing, address the state aid issue, attract private financing, mobilize smaller railway undertakings, identify prototypes and promote standard solutions. In this context, he referred to a planned European Rolling Stock Deployment Strategy, aimed at coordinating this process at EU level. Mr Ruete encouraged ERTMS users, both infrastructure managers and operators, to cooperate more also across the borders. He expressed his hope that similar stocktaking events could be organised in future by other stakeholders.

Meeting with Stanislas Pinte of The Signalling Company, Brussels, 9 July 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Stanislas Pinte the CEO of The Signalling Company, a Belgium SME active in the retrofitting domain. Mr Pinte described the scope of activities of his company and its business model. 
The European Training Centre for Railways (ETCR) Brussels' Day, Brussels, 9 July 2019
Mr Ruete took part in the European Training Centre for Railways (ETCR) Brussels' Day training. This year’s 57th edition of the ETCR summer course was co-organised by ERA, the College of Europe and the European Training Centre for Railways. The course was attended by middle managers of railway undertakings and infrastructure companies from different European and non-EU countries. Mr Ruete gave a presentation on his activities as the European Coordinator and vision on how to accelerate ERTMS deployment. After the presentation, Mr Ruete replied to a series of questions.

Study visit at Infrabel ERTMS, Brussels, 27 June 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Luc Lallemand, Director-General of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Management Committee of Infrabel, the infrastructure manager of the railways in Belgium. The meeting focused on the issue of ETCS trackside deployment in Belgium and lessons learned. The meeting was followed by on-site demonstration of ERTMS locomotive and ERTMS simulator at Infrabel workshops. Furthermore, Mr Ruete had an opportunity to visit the Infrabel Railway Operations Centre and Railway Infrastructure Operation Centre.

Meeting with DG COMP on state aid, Brussels, 27 June 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Henrik Morch in charge of the Transport, Post and other services Directorate at DG COMP. Mr Ruete learned about DG COMP policy as regards state aid approval in the transport domain and presented a rationale for state intervention in the field of retrofitting. He explained that especially smaller rail freight operators cannot cope on their own with the fleet modernisation and that several Member States are contemplating a comprehensive assistance package. DG COMP informed about favourable  state aid decisions already taken for schemes set up by two Member States.

Meeting with Mr Schölzel of Siemens Mobility, Berlin, 26 June 2019 

Mr Ruete met Mr Jürgen Schölzel in charge of signalling projects at Siemens Mobility GmbH. During the conversation among others the following issues were discussed: industrial capacity; possibility to accelerate the deployment in Germany; digitalisation of interlockings; support for smaller operators; reduction in unit costs and ERTMS as a global standard.

Meeting with Mr von Weizsäcker of German Ministry of Finance, Berlin, 26 June 2019

As the follow up of the first meeting on 12 March, Mr Ruete met Mr Jakob Freiherr von Weizsäcker, Director in charge of financial and economic affairs at the German Ministry of Finance, who was accompanied by his collaborators. Mr Ruete highlighted that significant savings for the infrastructure managers are possible if the class B system is decommissioned. He explained that if the vehicles were not retrofitted or renewed, the already existing control and safety technology trackside would have to be kept in parallel, which entails enormous costs or some companies would have to cease to operate. Rail companies, especially in the freight sector, cannot handle the immense retrofitting costs of the first in class alone and they need assistance. In this context, Mr Ruete stressed the need for the state to provide a stable multiannual framework both for the railway undertakings and suppliers

Meeting with DG MOVE on the 2019 CEF meeting on reflow calls and retrofitting, Brussels, 21 June 2019

Mr Ruete met DG MOVE representatives to discuss the experience with CEF funded ERTMS projects; blending facility preparation; challenges related to retrofitting of the rolling stock and lessons learned. He presented arguments for a dedicated CEF reflow call to be launched in 2019 and aimed at prototypes. In the opinion of Mr Ruete such a solution might help build a solid project-pipeline for CEF 2 retrofitting calls.

Meeting with Mr De Michelis of DG REGIO, Brussels, 20 June 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Nicola De Michelis in charge of the Smart and Sustainable Growth and Programmes Directorate at DG REGIO. Mr Ruete learned about DG REGIO approach to the ERTMS deployment; shared with Mr De Michelis experience gathered during his mandate until present; discussed potential synergies between DG REGIO and DG MOVE and exchanged views on the possible way ahead towards successful ERTMS deployment in the EU.

UNIFE General Assembly, Dublin, 13 June 2019

Mr Ruete attended the UNIFE General Assembly during which he participated in a panel entitled   “Towards an ever-improving rail network in Ireland and in the EU.”  In his intervention, Mr Ruete indicated that the biggest challenge is the management of the transition from class B system to ERTMS and the evolution of ERTMS, including new functionalities, like game changers. He stressed that in order to make the whole transition a success it is key to guarantee not only backward compatibility but also to maintain forward interoperability. Mr Ruete underlined that sunk investments undermine willingness of infrastructure managers and railway undertakings to deploy ERTMS.  He indicated that many Member States have realised that deployment on corridors only is not enough to reap all benefits of ERTMS, the objective should be a nation-wide deployment. He referred to a planned European Rolling Stock Deployment Strategy, aimed at coordinating this process at EU level, including state aid issues and financing. He called upon manufacturers to deliver reliable products at reasonable price and to enhance their productive capacity.

High Level breakfast with UNIFE Signalling Directors and CEOs, Dublin, 13 June 2019

Matthias Ruete and Henrik Hololei, Director-General of DG MOVE, attended a meeting with the CEOs and signalling Directors of the UNIFE companies active in UNISIG. Alstom represented by Henri Poupart-Lafarge and Jean-Marc Nizet, AZD Praha represented by Vladimir Kampik, Bombardier represented by Danny Di Perna and Richard Hunter, CAF represented by Iñigo Balda Arana and Aitor Berasarte, Hitachi Rail STS represented by Cristian Andi, Siemens represented by Sabrina Soussan and Gerry Greiter, Thales represented by Alberto Parrondo, ECM represented by Paolo Covoni, and UNIFE represented by Philippe Citroen and Michel Van Liefferinge took part in the meeting.
UNISIG CEOs confirmed that suppliers are committed to the ERTMS deployment plan. They also mentioned the risk of postponing ERTMS deployment if infrastructure managers wait for the next ERTMS baselines. Mr Ruete expressed a view that if ERTMS is a success in Europe, the EU can become a global standard setter. In this context, he urged UNISIG CEOs to reflect on how to contribute to accelerated deployment and how to strengthen trust between all actors.

Meeting with Mr Andi, of Europe, Middle East & Africa at Hitachi Rail, Dublin, 12 June 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Christian Andi, President Europe, Middle East and Africa at Hitachi Rail. Mr Andi presented the Hitachi Rail STS (Hitachi Rail STS was previously Ansaldo Signalling and Transportation Systems), a signalling company active on several European markets. Mr Andi pointed to the skill shortages as one of the main challenges the sector faces.  Mr Ruete and Mr Andi discussed also the idea of decommissioning of class B systems.

ERTMS Policy Board meeting, Brussels, 5 June 2019

Mr Ruete attended the ERTMS Policy Board meeting that gathered representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, INEA and S2R. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: CCS System Architecture, possible ERTMS retrofitting plan and ERTMS CEF projects. Mr Ruete highlighted a need for a dedicated support for prototypes.

Meeting at the Ministry for Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Berlin, 29 May 2019

The regular meeting between the German Ministerial level and the TEN-T coordinators responsible for corridors crossing Germany took place at the Federal Ministry in Berlin.
The Coordinators met Mr Guido Beermann, the German Federal State Secretary, Mr Michael Güntner, the State Secretary and Mr Steffen Bilger, the Parliamentary State Secretary. The meeting allowed for exchanges of information on corridors essential issues between the highest federal political level and Coordinators. The CEF 2 and the upcoming process of revision of TEN-T has been presented to the State Secretaries and their management staff.

Meeting with Mr Lutz of Deutsche Bahn, Berlin, 29 May 2019

The regular meeting between the DB top management (Dr Richard Lutz and management team) and the TEN-T Coordinators responsible for corridors crossing Germany took place in the DB Tower in Berlin. This regular meeting with the Orient East - Med; Rhine - Alpine; North Sea - Baltic; Rhine - Danube; Scan - Med and Atlantic Coordinators and the ERTMS Coordinators allows for an exchange of views on the progress of railway in Germany towards the TEN-T objectives. The objective of this year’s meeting was to inform the Coordinators about the DB “Digital Rail Germany” strategy; environmental dimension; and challenges of a performing rail system. During the meeting, Mr Ruete agreed that there is a need for a gradual decommissioning of class B systems and stressed that ERTMS is a major European ERTMS industrial project that will become the backbone of the future digital rail. Mr Ruete underlined the importance of public support for retrofitting of the existing rolling stock and mentioned the idea of the European Deployment Strategy for rolling stock.

ERTMS Day Conference, Stockholm, 28 May 2019

At the invitation of Trafikverket Mr Ruete attended the “ERTMS Day” conference, where he gave a presentation on how the ERTMS deployment might be accelerated. The audience were mainly train operators, vehicle owners, entrepreneurs and industry organisations.

Meeting with Mr Åkeson of Trafikverket, Stockholm, 27 May 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Anders Åkeson, Head of ERTMS Project at Trafikverket. Trafikverket is the Swedish Transport Administration responsible for long-term planning of the transport system for all types of traffic, as well as for building, operating and maintaining railways. Mr Åkeson presented the current Swedish approach to the ERTMS deployment, both trackside and on-board and the envisaged timeline. Mr Ruete shared with him his vision as to the support of the rolling stock operators.

Meeting with Mr Engstrand of ASTOC, Stockholm, 27 May 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Gustaf Engstrand of ASTOC, being the Association of Swedish Train Operating Companies. Mr Engstrand expressed his concerns as to the decommissioning of class B system in Sweden. He pointed out that this might have negative effects especially on smaller rail freight operators and, as a result, bring about a reverse modal shift. Mr Engstrand called for an enhanced public assistance in this domain.

Meeting with Ms Hermansson of Swedish transport committee, Stockholm, 27 May 2019

Mr Ruete met Ms Emma Hermansson of the Swedish Transport Committee. During the meeting, Mr Ruete presented the current state of play as regards the ERTMS deployment in Europe. Ms Hermansson shared Swedish plans for the ERTMS deployment and explained the national approach as regards retrofitting.

Meeting with Mr Larsson and Mr Fransson of WSP, Stockholm, 27 May 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Ulf Larsson and Mr Michael Fransson of WSP, a consultancy firm providing technical expertise and advice in the transport sector. Mr Ruete learned about the Norwegian on-board financing strategy and the Swedish ERTMS deployment experience.

Meeting with Mr Citroën, Brussels, 20 May 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Philippe Citroën, Director-General of UNIFE and discussed the preparation of the forthcoming UNIFE General Assembly. Mr Ruete underlined the importance of the industrial capacity for the achievement of the objectives laid down in the European Deployment Plan and the need to rebuild trust between the rails supply industry, railway undertakings and infrastructure managers.

Meeting with Mr Beckers Director INEA, Brussels, 15 May 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Dirk Beckers, Director of INEA, and the INEA ERTMS team. INEA presented the state of play of ERTMS projects portfolio funded under CEF; lessons learned and possible measures to accelerate deployment of ERTMS projects. Mr Ruete presented the current state of the art as regards ERTMS deployment in Europe and his vision for the future, including the possible rolling stock deployment strategy and decommissioning of class B system.

UIC Conference on Future Rail Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), Paris, 14 May 2019

Mr Ruete was invited to give a speech at the UIC conference on Future Rail Mobile Communication System (FRMCS). In his speech, Mr Ruete presented his three don’ts and three dos. The don’ts are: don’t undermine the ERTMS deployment strategy – it will take five to six years to develop FRMCS; don’t endanger compatibility – we must guarantee backwards compatibility; and don’t create “sunk” investments (in things which have no future).
The three dos are: ensure sufficient spectrum, but without developing propriety solutions for rail as it will make it very costly; ensure a smooth transition within a defined timeframe because dual trackside installations will be there for some time; and do develop a concrete industrial vision with standardisation to achieve significant reductions in unit costs.

Meeting with Mr Toninelli, Minister of Transport, Rome, 9 May 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Danilo Toninelli, the Italian Minister of Transport. Mr Ruete recognised that Italy is a leading country in terms of adopting of the ERTMS,with some 750 km of railway network already equipped and 1,500 km currently being upgraded. Mr Toninelli underlined the importance of the EU support for ERTMS. It was a common agreement that the success of the trackside deployment hinges upon timely retrofitting of the existing fleet and a support for small and medium-sized railway companies that need aid to conduct the modernization of the rolling stock. Minister Toninelli stressed that the Italian aim is to complete the ERTMS deployment by 2035, ahead of the EU deadlines

Meeting with Mr Gentile, the CEO of RFI, Rome, 9 May 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Maurizio Gentile, the CEO of RFI. The discussion centred on the details of the Italian, nation-wide ERTMS deployment and the retrofitting of the rolling stock. In this context different scenarios for public intervention were discussed, including CEF and ERDF funding and state aid schemes. Mr Ruete promised to explore the possible state aid solutions with the relevant Commission services.

Meeting with the rail stakeholders, Rome, 8 May 2019

Mr Ruete attended a meeting with Italian rail stakeholders, including Trenitalia, RFI, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, NTV, Assifer, ASSOFER, Asstra and FerCargo. The Italian representatives presented the national deployment plan and shared their experience. Mr Ruete informed about the current state of play at EU level with a special focus on the neighbouring countries.

“Czech and European Railways for the 21st Century – Single European Railway Area” conference, Pardubice, 11 April 2019

Mr Ruete took part in the “Czech and European Railways for the 21st Century – Single European Railway Area” conference where he gave a presentation on the current state of play of the ERTMS deployment and possible measures aimed at the acceleration of this process. This conference was also a possibility to learn from the Czech operators and infrastructure manager on the experience gathered in this domain.

Shift2Rail States Representatives Group, Pardubice, 11 April 2019

Mr Ruete attended the Shift2Rail States Representatives Group (SRF) Dialogue on the future of Rail Research and Innovation. The event was an occasion for the SRG members to exchange views on the future of rail research and innovation building upon the results achieved by the S2R Joint Undertaking and its programme. 

Meeting at the European Investment Bank, Luxembourg, 10 April 2019

Mr Ruete attended a meeting with the European Bank of Investment. The aim of the meeting was to exchange views on new financing mechanisms and their added-value for the European large transport infrastructure projects, including ERTMS deployment.

Meeting with the European Court of Auditors, Luxembourg, 9 April 2019

On 9 April 2019 in the afternoon, Mr Ruete took part in a meeting between the TEN-T Coordinators and the EU Court of Auditors on the main transport infrastructure flagship projects along the TEN-T Corridors. This meeting provided an opportunity to explain the main successes and difficulties of the ERTMS deployment and to look at progress made since the publication of the ECA Report on ERTMS.

Coordinators seminar, Luxembourg, 9 April 2019

Mr Ruete attended the Seminar of the TEN-T Coordinators that took place in Luxembourg. This gave the opportunity to exchange views between the Coordinators and with the European Commission on the current files; including the CEF2; Blending Facility and the revision of the TEN-T policy.

ERTMS Policy Board meeting, Brussels, 4 April 2009

Mr Ruete attended the meeting that gathered representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, INEA and S2R. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: ERTMS retrofitting strategy, ERTMS CEF projects, CEF Blending Facility and CCS system architecture.

Rail Baltica Global Forum, Vilnius, 3-4 April 2019

Mr Ruete attended the Rail Baltica Global Forum in Vilnius on 3 April 2019, along with Director-General Henrik Hololei and ERTMS Coordinator Catherine Trautmann. The conference gathered around a thousand participants, including executives and decision makers, rail, logistics and economics experts as well as potential suppliers interested in the realisation of Rail Baltica from across Europe. Mr Ruete took also part in a side meeting with representatives of the Ministries of Transport, Defence, Economics and Finance of the five countries connected by Rail Baltica, where he highlighted the importance of ERTMS in terms of interoperability. Furthermore, Mr Ruete underlined the fact that ERTMS is to become the backbone of the digital railway and pointed out that Member States are implementing ERTMS but most of them are struggling in this process. The main issue are class B systems and the prolonged existence of two systems both on-board and trackside. Rail Baltica, as the biggest greenfield project in Europe, gives a chance for the Baltic States to leapfrog and land at the forefront of the ERTMS deployment.  Mr Ruete expressed his hope that next years Rail Baltica would dedicate even more time to considering ERTMS.

Meeting with Ms Plumb, Minister of EU Funds, Bucharest, 29 March 2019

Mr Ruete met together with colleague Coordinators Grosch and Peijs, Ms Rovana Plumb, Romanian Minister of EU Funds as well as representatives of the Romanian Ministry of Transport. The main issue discussed during the meeting was the state of implementation of transport projects funded by EU in Romania, including the ERTMS deployment.

TEN-T and CEF Conference in the context of Orient/East-Med and Rhine-Danube Core Network Corridors, Bucharest, 27-28 March 2019

Mr Ruete was invited as a panellist to the Regional TEN-T & CEF Conference organised by the European Commission and the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. At this occasion, he presented the benefits of CEF Transport Blending Facility. Mr Ruete expressed a view that projects funded through the CEF blending are in general more mature and financial viable. This aspect will be even strengthened in the Blending Facility where projects promoters can submit their applications not bound by the standard CEF call deadlines but just once ready and sufficiently mature. Recourse to unit contributions considerably simplifies streamlines and reduces the time needed for the financial management of projects, both at Commission and beneficiary level. Financing on the basis of unit contribution introduces also an incentive for the beneficiary to rationalise the costs. Mr Ruete emphasised that as a result there is no incentive to inflate the cost or opt for gold-plating.

Meeting with Mr Knopperts of Pro Rail and Mr Thomassen of the Dutch Transport Ministry, Utrecht, 26 March 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Wim Knopperts and Hugo Thomassen who are responsible for the Dutch ERTMS deployment programme at the Pro Rail and the Dutch Ministry. The discussion centred on the current challenges related to the ERTMS deployment in the Netherlands and the Dutch approach to retrofitting. 

Meeting with Mr van Boxtel of NS, Utrecht, 26 March 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Roger van Boxtel, CEO of NS. Mr Van Boxtel and Mr Ruete exchanged views on the current developments in the rail sector, including ERTMS deployment; the challenges the rail sector faces; and discussed the ways to create better and faster connections between European capitals as a sustainable alternative for short flight connections.

Opening ceremony RailTech Europe, Utrecht, 26 March 2019

Mr Ruete gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the RailTech Europe conference. In his intervention, he highlighted that ERTMS will constitute the backbone of the digital railways. Mr Ruete explained that the deployment of ERTMS offers a possibility for a better use of existing assets. Mr Ruete expressed opinion that decommissioning of class B systems trackside should bring about significant maintenance savings for infrastructure managers but railway undertakings cannot be left alone with retrofitting.

ERTMS conference, Utrecht, 26 March 2019

Mr Ruete gave an opening presentation in which he outlined the current state of play of the ERTMS deployment in Europe; explained the progress achieved but also existing delays; emphasised a need for a coordinated deployment both track side and on-board; stressed the need for a European strategy for retrofitting and a coordinated policy on phasing out class B systems.

Meeting with Mr von Weizsäcker of German Ministry of Finance, Berlin, 12 March 2019

In the afternoon, Mr Ruete met Mr Jakob Freiherr von Weizsäcker, Director in charge of financial and economic affairs at the German Ministry of Finance, who was accompanied by Mr Homann, Head of the Transport and Maritime Economy Unit.

Mr Ruete stressed that the deployment of ERTMS should be considered as a major European industrial project. During the conversation among others the following issues were raised: financing of the new deployment plan of the Deutsche Bahn; state aid dimension; reduction in unit costs; feasibility of a more industrial deployment; coordinated approach for retrofitting; preservation of investments made now and backward/forward compatibility.

Meeting with Mr Gratza of German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Berlin, 12 March 2019

Mr Ruete attended a meeting with the Mr Gratza, Director of the Railway Directorate within the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. Mr Gratza was accompanied by his collaborators (Mr Rittmeier, Head of the Innovation, Digitalisation, Connectivity Department and Mr Schweinsberg, Head of the Rail Investments Department and Mr Sump from the Digitalisation and Innovative Technology Unit) and representatives of the Deutsche Bahn (Mr Sennhenn, the president of the Board of Deutsche Bahn Netz, Mr Schlichting, Head of the Planning and Deployment of the ETCS-Programme Unit and Mr Bührsch, Head of the ETCS/Digital Interlockings Investment Unit). With respect to the state of play of the ERTMS deployment Mr Ruete learned that by 2023 some 2.500 km, including 2.000 km on TEN-T corridors will be put in operation. Deployment on RALP between Oberhausen and Basel is progressing and the whole section should be in operation with ETCS by 2022 except for the area of Karlsruhe where for technical reasons this stretch will be put in operation in 2024 only. As regards Emmerich-Oberhausen section Germany is not going to equip this line with ETCS prior to the construction of the third track, possibly by 2028.  The German authorities presented also its business case.  New approach consists in finalization of the existing projects followed by a gradual deployment of ERTMS, region by region, with a subsequent decommissioning of Class B systems trackside. In order to decommission Class B systems the existing rolling stock has to be retrofitted. It was agreed that the railway undertakings should be assisted in this process as for them the benefits come in principle much later.

Teleconference with Mr Bedmar of Rail Baltica Rail, Brussels, 11 March 2019

Mr Ruete participated in a teleconference with Mr Jean-Marc Bedmar, Head of Systems & Operation Department of Rail Baltica Rail AS and his team. Mr Ruete learned about the current state of play as regards the preparation for the deployment of ERTMS on Rail Baltica. Mr Ruete indicated that Rail Baltica would be the single major green-project in Europe that can become the showcase of new technologies, including the game changers. In this context, a timely deployment of ERTMS will play a key role for the success of Rail Baltica.

Meeting with Mr Chavanel, Mr Mazataud and Ms Arfaoui Kaynak of SNCF, Brussels, 27 February 2019

In the wake of the meeting with Mr Jeantet in Paris on 24 January 2019, Mr Ruete met Mr Christian Chavanel, Director of Interoperability and Standardization of SNCF, Mr Paul Mazataud, Director Europe of SNCF Réseau, and Ms Hélène Arfaoui Kaynak Director in charge of ERTMS. The discussion centred on the deployment of ERTMS in France and in Europe, both trackside and on-board, and rollout plans for the future. SNCF underlined that deployment of ERTMS level 2 (and possibly hybrid level 3) without legacy system should be the objective. In this context, harmonisation of national technical and operational rules is indispensable. SNCF stressed that a sustainable solution should be found for the retrofit of the whole fleet, including a development of a low-cost on-board solutions. SNCF stressed that ERTMS deployment and automation are SNCF’s priorities for boosting railway competitiveness 

Study visit to the SNCB workshop, Salzinnes, 25 February 2019

Mr Ruete, together with his predecessor Karel Vinck, visited the SNCB workshop in Salzinnes near Namur where he met Mr Jean-Luc Glineur, Head of Rolling Stock Engineering of SNCB, and Mr Renaud de Froidmont, Director of the workshops in Salzinnes. Mr Ruete learned about the retrofitting plans of SNCB and lessons learned. The hosts informed also about division of tasks between the suppliers and the SNCB. Mr Ruete was impressed by the approach developed by SNCB that consists in industrial retrofitting conducted 24 h/24h mostly in-house by a dedicated team.

Meeting with Mr Ruesen of EUG, Brussels, 21 February 2019 

Mr Ruete met Mr Michel Ruesen, the Managing Director of ERTMS User Group (EUG). Mr Ruesen presented the mission and activities of the ERTMS Users Group. The focus of the discussion was on the assistance provided by EUG to the stakeholders in deploying ERTMS in an interoperable way with a view to enabling a competitive railway. EUG is among others involved in testing and authorisation; safeguarding backwards compatibility; future development of ERTMS; ERTMS specialist training and reference CCS architecture. Mr Ruesen explained that the added value of the ERTMS Users Group consists in offering a platform for railway peers to share experiences and to consolidate their views.

European Railway Award, Brussels, 20 February 2019

Mr Ruete participated in a round table on the main achievements of the past 5 years in the rail sector and expectations for the future at the European Railway Award 2019.  This large annual gala event was organised at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the European Rail Supply Industry Association (UNIFE). In 2019 the European Railway Award went to Ms Catherine Trautmann, the European Coordinator for the North Sea-Baltic Core Network Coordinator, for her long-standing support for the European rail supply industry and a thriving rail network. The other panellists were Ms Karima Delli, chair of the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee; Mr Henrik Hololei, Director-General of DG MOVE; Mr Crister Fritzson, CER Chair and CEO of SJ (Sweden); and Ms Sabrina Soussan, UNIFE Chair and CEO of Siemens Mobility. In his intervention, Mr Ruete stressed that ERTMS is becoming reality and would constitute the backbone of digital rail, made his sincere commitment to the achievement of the goals laid down in the European Deployment Plan and stressed the need to accelerate deployment.

Noah’s Train event, Brussels, 20 February 2019

Mr Ruete attended the conference: “Doubling rail freight volumes by 2030 to reduce climate impact of transport sector” and the Noah’s Train event at the Train World in the Schaerbeek Station in Brussels that gathered Commission representatives, representatives of the Belgian government, industry, academics and  NGO’s. The conference was co-organised by Rail Freight Forward being a coalition of European rail freight companies committed to reduce the negative impact of freight transport through a more intelligent transport mix.  The coalition has the ambition to increase the modal share of rail freight to 30% by 2030. After the conference, Mr Ruete attended the arrival of Noah’s Train, the world’s longest mobile street artwork symbolizing how rail freight will save the world. Noah’s Train arrived in Brussels after a tour that started at the climate conference in Katowice and went via Vienna, Berlin, Paris to Brussels. 

ERTMS platform coordination subgroup, Brussels, 19 February 2019

Mr Ruete attended the ERTMS Platform Coordination subgroup, where he met representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, CER, UNISIG, UNIFE, EUG, EIM, S2R, EPPTOLA and DMT.  During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: the recent CCS TSI revision, follow-up of the Action Plan, change requests related to class B system, issues impacting the ETCS specifications and CCS System Architecture. As regards CCS System Architecture, M. Ruete explained that this action should be led by the Commission that should be supported by ERA, INEA and S2R. He also highlights that backward and forward compatibility needs to be maintained.

Meeting with Mr Hasler, Berlin, 13 February 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Jürgen Hasler, the head of the Mobility and Logistics Unit at the Federation of German Industries (German Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e.V.) being the leading organization of German industry that represents 40 industry associations and more than 100,000 companies with around 8 million employees. The conversation focused on the issue of digitalisation of railways; future role of rail freight cargo and intermodal transport in Germany; impact of the Europe-wide ERTMS deployment on the supply chain of the German industry; capacity of the industry to deliver signalling system both trackside and on-board in view of the national roll-out of ERTMS in Germany; competitive pressure from companies outside the European Union; and impact of the rail transportation from Asia on the German industry.

Meeting with Mr Pofalla, Berlin, 13 February 2019

Mr Ruete had a meeting with Mr Pofalla, the member of Deutsche Bahn (DB) Board in charge of infrastructure. Mr Ruete discussed among others the issue of a new German strategy aimed at a nation-wide deployment; possibility to accelerate the deployment of ERTMS on the Emmerich-Oberhausen section; measures to increase industrial capacity; reduce unit costs and support railway undertakings. It was agreed that after the elections to the European Parliament but still before the summer break DB would organise in cooperation with Mr Ruete an event in Brussels to highlight the importance of ERTMS deployment and bring together European stakeholders.

Meeting with Minister Scheuer, Berlin, 12 February 2019

Mr Ruete met Mr Andreas Scheuer, the German Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The conversation focused on the current transport issues in Germany and at European level. Mr Ruete emphasised the benefits for the German economy related to a rapid deployment of ERTMS. He also pointed to the challenges related to the industrial capacity. Both also discussed the preparations for the German EU presidency.

Meeting with LINEAS, Brussels, 6 February 2019

Mr Ruete attended a meeting between LINEAS and DMT to learn fist-hand from a leading Belgian rail freight operator about its experience with retrofitting. This meeting provided also a unique opportunity for Mr Ruete to get acquainted with the technical assistance provided by DMT for Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) beneficiaries. LINEAS stressed that ERTMS needs to be installed not only on the core network corridors but also on the secondary lines. Mr Ruete learned also that the benefits for freight operators related to the ERTMS deployment depend to a large extend on the pace of ERTMS deployment trackside. A specific problem was identified with the revised deadline for the decommissioning of the class B system in Luxembourg (31/12/2019). The date was advanced by a year and a half, which negatively affects the business model of LINEAS. Mr Ruete was also informed also about the technical aspects of the retrofitting and the daily interoperability challenges rail freight operators experience.

ERTMS Policy Board meeting, Brussels, 4 February, 2019

Mr Ruete took part in the ERTMS Policy Board dedicated to the issue of system architecture. The meeting was also attended by DG MOVE, ERA, INEA and S2R. The participants agreed that work on system architecture is of key importance as there is a need for an overall strategic planning as regards the introduction of new functionalities. By the end of 2019, the Agency will provide an intermediate report demonstrating the different options and specific objectives of the different initiatives. It was agreed that key elements would already be presented during the ERA Control Command and Railway Communication Conference (CCRCC) in October 2019. The ERA December 2020 report will outline the 2022 CCS TSI revision. Mr Ruete stressed that certainty as regards the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) is necessary to unlock investments. Mr Ruete also emphasised a need to simplify any future software upgrades.

Meeting with Minister Borne, Paris, 24 January 2019

Mr Ruete together with Ms Radičová, Mr Balazs, and Mr Secchi met Ms Elisabeth Borne, the French Transport Minister. Matthias Ruete thanked Mister Borne for the respect by France of its commitments set out in the ERTMS European Deployment Plan (EDP). He expressed hope that France will continue to deploy ERTMS according to the agreed timeline, especially as regards the line from Thionville to Basel. Mr Ruete stressed the growing political momentum in the European Union to accelerate the ERTMS deployment. He pointed out that several Member States, especially all the eastern neighbours of France consider not only to install ERTMS on the Core Network Corridors but also to opt for a gradual nation-wide deployment. In this context, he encouraged France to consider such an approach especially as following similar deployment timings is important to ensure smooth cross-border traffic. Mr Ruete reminded that the current legal framework prohibits further development of the legacy Class B systems. He also raised the issue of the capacity of the European industry to produce a sufficient number of equipment at a competitive price. Minister Borne underlined that she intends to start a dialogue with the industry to reduce the current unit costs.

Meeting with Mr Jeantet of SNCF Réseau, Paris, 24 January 2019

Mr Ruete together with three other European Coordinators: Ms Radičová, Mr Balazs, and Mr. Secchi met Mr Patrick Jeantet, CEO of SNCF Réseau and members of his staff. During the meeting, Mr Ruete had an opportunity to discuss the experience gained in France with the ERTMS deployment, especially as regards level 1 and level 2, and the plans for the future ERTMS rollout. He also learned about the progress in the ongoing projects. Mr Ruete informed about the current development at European level and explained the new role of the European Union Agency for Railways as the ERTMS system authority.

Meeting with Ms Inés Ayala Sender, MEP, Brussels, 23 January 2019

Mr Ruete met Ms Inés Ayala Sender, the Spanish Member of the European Parliament. During the conversation, Mr Ruete discussed with Ms Ayala Sender the Spanish transport policy and the current state of play as regards Core Network Corridors and ERTMS deployment in Spain.

Visit at the EIB, Luxembourg, 17 January 2019

On 17 January, Mr Ruete paid a visit to the EIB Mobility Department of the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg where he learned about the activities of the EIB, its Mobility Department and particularly the EIB Rail Division. Mr Ruete shared his vision on the ERTMS deployment and his role as the European Coordinator. The EIB presented its ERTMS projects portfolio.  EIB and Mr Ruete analysed lessons learned and considered possible measures aimed at addressing identified obstacles for ERTMS deployment.

ERTMS Policy Board meeting, Brussels, 11 January 2019

Mr Ruete attended the ERTMS Policy Board meeting that gathered representatives of DG MOVE, ERA, INEA and S2R. During the meeting, the following points were among others discussed: update on CCS TSI revision, monitoring and implementation of ETCS system compatibility, preparation for the ERTMS blending facility, process for cleaning up of the national technical rules and ERTMS deployment progress in 2018. 

DMT Quarterly Meeting, Brussels, 10 January 2019

On 10 January, Mr Ruete attended the quarterly meeting between DG MOVE and the ERTMS Deployment Management Team (DMT). DMT is a facility set up by the European Commission in January 2015 with the aim to ensuring an efficient, synchronised and timely implementation of ERTMS along the core network corridors. The main tasks of DMT consist in providing technical guidance, economic or financial assistance and dissemination of information on ERTMS.  The objective of the meeting was to review the progress of ongoing DMT tasks and discuss activities for 2019. DMT gave for Mr Ruete a dedicated presentation on the scope of DMT activities. Mr Ruete indicated key areas of his interest as regards DMT work streams, including data gathering on ERTMS deployment; funding and finance; communication and provision of technical guidance.

Study visit to ERA, Valenciennes, 9 January 2019

Mr Ruete was invited by Mr Josef Doppelbauer, the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), to the ERA office in Valenciennes. During his visit, Mr Ruete was informed about recent and forthcoming ERTMS developments and in particular about the state of preparation of ERA for its new role as the system authority. Furthermore, Mr Ruete met the ERA colleagues dealing with the ERTMS related issues.

Mr Matthias Ruete, European Coordinator
To contact Mr Ruete, please use the advisor email below

Mr Marcin Wójcik, Adviser of the European Coordinator
Marcin.Wojcik@ec.europa.eu
+32 (0) 2 29 87596

Postal address:
European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) / TEN-T
Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport
Rue de Mot 28
1049 Brussels
Belgium