ERTMS -- delivering flexible and reliable rail traffic : a major industrial project for Europe

Whereas lorries and coaches on our roads are able to cross national borders within the European Union without stopping, it is still uncommon for trains to travel beyond the border stations of their Member State. In addition to legal and administrative issues, differences in technical railway standards are hampering the development of rail transport at European level. For example, more than 20 different signalling systems exist in the European rail system and this is clearly a major obstacle to the free flow of rail traffic. Only the deployment of a single, common system, ERTMS (European rail traffic management system), can remove this obstacle and improve the competitiveness of the rail sector. The deployment of this system is ongoing. EUR 5 billion of investments are planned over the coming years. These investments are expected to strengthen the safety of the rail network whilst improving its competitiveness. The European Commission, in close cooperation with the rail sector and Member States, will ensure that the deployment of ERTMS will be achieved rapidly and effectively through coordination at a European level.