EUROPE: A new timetable for the roll-out of the European Rail Traffic Management System has been put in place by the European Commission, with the adoption on January 5 of an implementing regulation.
The revised ERTMS European Deployment Plan has been drawn up over the past two years by ERTMS Co-ordinator Karel Vinck, in consultation with EU member states, after it became apparent that the timescales set out in the previous plan adopted in 2009 were not achievable. The Commission had recognised that the original deadlines for equipping the six designated ERTMS Corridors had become ‘unrealistic’, citing a shortage of financing, the limited number of qualified experts and technical problems.