Deployment of ERTMS

A European railway language

In order to develop technical interoperability, the project includes the deployment of European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) along the entire length of Corridor D. The changeover from the current control systems to this standardised management system will be completed gradually and in a coordinated way.

What is ERTMS ?

ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) is the new European control, command and signalling system for rail services, designed to replace the different systems currently in use in Europe, many of them incompatible and some of them obsolete.

ERTMS has two basic components :

  • ETCS (European Train Control System): A computer on board the train, Eurocab, compares the train's speed with the maximum permitted speed. Information is transmitted via the trackside component and automatically applies the brakes if the train is exceeding the maximum speed.
  • GSM-R (Global System for Mobile communication - Rail), based on the GSM standard but using frequencies specific to the rail sector and with certain advanced functions. This is the telecommunications system used to exchange information (voice and data) between the trackside component and the train.

There are two levels of ETCS :

  • Level 1 ETCS: the ground transmits ad hoc information to the train through radio beacons set up trackside, known as Eurobalises.
  • Level 2 ETCS: the information is continuously transmitted by GSM-R, which eliminates the need for trackside signalling (signal lights and signs), thereby reducing investment and maintenance costs.