At their statutory meetings in Brussels (BE), the members of EIM underlined the importance of a fast-track deployment of ERTMS in the single European railway area.

To achieve this objective, EIM calls for an accelerated standardisation of command, control and signalling technology. By doing so, the overall capacity of the existing rail networks will be increased and the costs for the buyers of this technology can be reduced. Standardisation should include backwards compatibility to existent CCS architecture and ensure a seamless transition between current and future scenarios taking into account the need to preserve investments already made.

Given the European dimension of this objective, EIM suggests to steer all activities related to this objective under the umbrella of the EU Commission and especially the EU Agency for Railways. In this context, the initiatives of rail infrastructure managers to standardise the architecture of the different proprietary technology and their respective interfaces is of strategic relevance.  

For EIM, the way forward is a European market with modular command, control and signalling technologies. Luc Lallemand, President of EIM, reminds that “the members of EIM have clearly expressed their commitment to ERTMS. However, we need a new way forward, reflecting the needs of rail infrastructure managers. Control, command and signalling technology must ensure ‘plug and play’ and a much lower life cycle cost for all customers. This can only be achieved via mandatory ERTMS modularity, exchangeability of individual systems and data management to increase the overall capacity of all rail networks. The role of the European Commission and especially the EU Agency for Railways to make these requirements a reality, is crucial. We need the right incentives for all, meaning ERTMS is a win-win for the users, the manufacturers, the suppliers, the passengers, the tax payer and the wider economy”.