Skip to main content

EU to fund common train control system

The EU's TEN-T Programme is to provide funding of over US$16 million for the development and installation of the common European Train Control System (ETCS) in Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark and the UK. The new system is expected to improve the interoperability, safety, reliability and capacity on European railways. Seven separate projects aim to contribute to the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) in the EU and enhance interoperability of European rail services. While increa
April 15, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The EU's TEN-T Programme is to provide funding of over US$16 million for the development and installation of the common European Train Control System (ETCS) in Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark and the UK. The new system is expected to improve the interoperability, safety, reliability and capacity on European railways.

Seven separate projects aim to contribute to the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) in the EU and enhance interoperability of European rail services. While increasing the overall capacity of the rail network, the projects are expected to boost freight and passenger traffic safety and improve the timekeeping of trains.

Nearly US$7.4 million of the total amount will go to ETCS deployment in Belgium, where the system will contribute to the national rail fleet upgrade programme.

Luxembourg-based companies will receive over US$3.7 million to equip and upgrade 85 locomotives with ETCS, enabling their operation on ETCS-equipped railway lines in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.

The Danish train fleet may become the first in Europe to fully use ETCS , where EU funding of almost US$4.2 million will support the prototyping, installation and testing of ETCS on-board equipment on 52 Danish locomotives currently in use. It is part of the Danish national programme aiming to renew the entire signalling system on the country's rail network by 2021.

The UK will receive UA$798,000 to equip ten TRAXX locomotives with ETCS, allowing their operation in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.

The projects were selected for EU funding with the assistance of external experts under the TEN-T Multi-Annual Call 2013, priority 'European rail traffic management system'. Their implementation will be monitored by INEA, the 1690 European Commission's Innovation and Networks Executive Agency. The projects are to be completed by December 2015.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK railways to benefit from information upgrade
    January 3, 2013
    More than US$13.44 million funding will be spent by train companies to boost passenger information at stations across the UK. The funding will pay for a national roll-out to link customer information screens at stations to the latest live real time train information data, fed from a database developed and maintained by train companies. The upgrade will be rolled out in around 2,000 National Rail stations. The first stations will be switched on in summer 2014 and the whole project is anticipated to be comp
  • Further EIB support for Lithuanian Railways
    June 4, 2013
    Lithuanian Railways are set to benefit from new rolling stock following a US$65.3 million loan agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB). After the support for the upgrading of railway infrastructure and purchase of new locomotives, this is now the third EIB operation aimed at modernising Lithuanian railways. “The EIB strongly promotes sustainable transport, and railways will remain one of the most energy-efficient and least polluting land transport modes. We therefore particularly welcome this agre
  • Global mobility study: world on the move
    November 27, 2020
    ERF reviews impact of new mobility on road infrastructure in 20 countries pre-Covid
  • Dynamic charging boosts electric vehicles’ potential
    December 16, 2014
    With an increasing need to use electric vehicles in city centres to reduce pollution, David Crawford looks at various solutions to power delivery. The UN’s September 2014 Climate Summit has added fresh momentum to the drive to increase urban electric vehicle (EV) takeup. It has launched the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative, which wants to see EVs accounting for 30% of all urban travel by 2030, and make cities worldwide more friendly to their use. Encouragingly, the plan is being well supported by commerci