The European ERTMS Coordinator has published a third work plan warning that the rollout of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) across EU member states is uneven and moving more slowly than required.
The document says the European Train Control System (ETCS) — a key part of ERTMS — had been deployed on about 10% of the TEN-T network, covering 12,400 km, by the end of 2024, the European Commission announced on Monday.
It adds that around 19% of the EU railway fleet, or 8,730 vehicles, was equipped with ETCS by the same date.
ERTMS is an EU-backed system designed to standardise rail signalling and communications so trains can run across borders more easily.
Matthias Ruete, the European Coordinator for ERTMS, said deployment needed to speed up and reach “industrial scale” to meet objectives set out in the TEN-T Regulation.
Targets set under the TEN-T regulation
The work plan sets out long-term milestones in EU rules, including deploying ERTMS on the TEN-T Core Network by 2030 and extending it across the wider TEN-T network by 2050.
Among the actions listed, the plan calls for stronger governance and coordination between member states — particularly on cross-border sections — along with “sufficient and stable” financing.
It also calls for a shift away from project-by-project delivery towards network-level action plans, and for ERTMS deployment to be handled as a system modernisation effort covering technical, operational and organisational aspects.
Ruete has served as European Coordinator for ERTMS since January 2019, with a role that includes supporting coordinated implementation along nine European Transport Corridors.
