Brussels, 20/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - A tug-of-war has begun between the European Commission and the German transport minister over the deployment of the ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) along a stretch of just over 300 km between Emmerich (Germany) and Basel (Switzerland), on the Rotterdam-Genoa rail corridor. Germany is no longer inclined to fulfil its commitments to install ERTMS on its track, but would prefer an alternative solution, a less expensive one according to the main interested parties, the STM. This German destination could render fruitless all investments already made by other countries and destroy a project of the single railway space. Siim Kallas, the European Commissioner in charge of transport, is looking for a compromise. He wrote to the German Transport Minister, Peter Ramsauer, to this effect just over a week ago. The ERTMS is a European system to monitor rail transport, which makes it possible to verify the speed of a train and automatically reduce it. At this stage, no fewer than 25 national systems co-exist, which prevents the completion of an effective single railway space and, more importantly, brings about important additional costs and technical complications.
A gap in the map. Like other member states, Germany is obliged to make progress in putting the monitoring system in place between now and 2015 under the ERTMS deployment plan adopted in 2009, which it has signed, but also under other bilateral agreements concluded with Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland in 2006. Some member states have made major investments in ERTMS: Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Sweden. France and Denmark have also committed to this process, and Switzerland, although it is not a member of the EU, is already equipped with ERTMS. In one sense, there is only Germany left to take the step and, under the “basic principle” of Kallas, “the concept of European land transport cannot be done without Germany, we need a compromise, look at the map, Germany is in the middle, we can't do anything without it”, he told the press.
ERTMS is too expensive, says Germany. Last autumn, the German transport minister told the European commissioner that he wanted to “decline his obligations”, as the commissioner put it, for the equipment of the ERTMS on the trunk of corridor A, which goes through Germany and connects Emmerich with Basel. According to German estimates, the investment would cost €4 billion a year between now and 2020, but European estimates put forward a much smaller figure, €2.2 million a year from now until 2020, with even the possibility of European funding up to 50%. The difference would be found in additional applications, which are not vital, which Germany has included in its calculations. The country now intends to favour an alternative and less expensive solution, the STM, which Commission experts feel is considerably more complicated. In his response to Ramsauer, dated 8 February, Kallas initially responds that “even though it is felt necessary at this stage, the STM solution brings with it significant disadvantages, particularly regarding the need to re-certify all trains equipped with it in all countries” (Ed: which costs enormous amounts in terms of time and money).
Final stage before infringement proceedings. Although it is lagging behind, Germany could still comply with the deadline laid down by the deployment plan, if the country committed to ERTMS now. However, by persevering in doing nothing or favouring a solution other than ERTMS, Germany would almost certainly be opening itself up to infringement proceedings early next year. The letter sent by the European commissioner to the German minister is a precedent to this damaging solution. This outcome is obviously not the favoured option of the European commissioner, who would prefer a compromise, and urges Germany to respect its obligations. Kallas stresses that he is prepared to support Germany in doing this, without even ruling out financial assistance. However, Kallas acknowledged that such differences between the cost estimates could hide other interests, but did not wish to interfere with German domestic policy. (MD/transl.fl)