On Tuesday 3 October 2017, the European Court of Auditors published a report on the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). In this report, the auditors formulate a number of recommendations to speed up the deployment of the system throughout the European Union.
The European Court of Auditors conducted the study in 2016 and 2017 by analysing the way in which the ERTMS and the single signalling systems in the Union had been set up, particularly in the six member states that the auditors had visited (Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Poland). A European Commission study pointed out that by the end of 2016 only 8.09% of railway lines were equipped with the ERTMS system and the auditors consider that the introduction of the system resembles a “patchwork”.
It should be pointed out that the ERTMS has existed for around 20 years. Its aim is to guarantee interoperability and avoid trains having to stop when travelling through one member state to another. To this end, the ERTMS has introduced common standards for railway infrastructure and signalling, which are supposed to ultimately produce a single signalling system in the Union.
In an attempt to explain the low ERTMS up-take, the European Court of Auditors identifies a reluctance on the part of the infrastructure managers and railway companies to invest and that the fact that the EU is unable to cover the total costs. This delay also jeopardises the 2030 and 2050 targets to comprehensively deploy the ERTMS system on the core network corridors and global network.
The auditors have therefore addressed several recommendations to the Commission and member states to speed up the system for introducing the single signalling system. These recommendations include an appeal to assess the costs, implement binding standards for dismantling national signalling systems, introduce financial instruments and enhance the position of railway companies and infrastructure managers to invest or improve the targeting of EU funds.
The report ultimately points out that the Commission, within the restrictions of its specific remit, accepts the recommendations by the auditors, with the exception of the latter recommendation on EU fund targeting, where the Commission refutes the claims relating to cohesion policy.
Commission welcomes report. Karel Vinck, the ERTMS coordinator at the European Commission positively welcomed the European Court of Auditors’ report. He used this occasion to point out the, “benefits of deployment on the Core Network Corridors.” and the need for coordination in this connection. He also identified the dismantling of national signalling systems as a “key catalyst” but did not, however, refer to any binding measures. Mr Vinck also asserted that they needed to focus on short-term priorities that were “realistic and feasible” before envisaging long-term measures and, in this regard, highlighted the amending regulation on the European plan for introducing the ERTMS adopted on 5 January last (see EUROPE 11697), which sets out binding targets up to 2023. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)