MEPs voted on Tuesday 6 July on the progress report on the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) (see EUROPE 12679/18).
“This is another step towards ending the fragmentation of the European railway area, which prevents rail from contributing to European mobility. We need an integrated and intelligent system that reduces logistical costs and brings more competitiveness, reduces saturation, and makes trains a key element in achieving the climate objectives”, said Izaskun Bilbao Barandica (Renew Europe, Spain), rapporteur on this dossier.
The initiative, which is “well behind schedule”, according to the latter, should serve, among other things, to ensure the interoperability of national railway systems and to reduce the costs of maintaining signalling systems, while increasing infrastructure capacity and the level of safety of rail transport.
“The ERTMS must remain a pillar in the mix of transport options offered to European citizens. We need to do better. We need to improve the performance of the railways through digitalisation. I hope that the Member States will keep their commitments to deploy the system”, stressed the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina-Ioana Vălean.
See the report: https://bit.ly/3wfoys0 (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)