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24. February 2021The Network of European Railways (NEE) welcomes the establishment of the European Train Control System (ETCS) by the EU, which lays the foundation for a uniform control and safety technology across Europe, making cross-border rail transport as easy as it is today in road and air transport. In addition to this so-called interoperability, savings in infrastructure operations and capacity increases are also possible.
(Berlin) “Highly pleased and grateful” expressed Ludolf Kerkeling, Chairman of the Goods Railways Association NEE, in Berlin regarding the vote of the Federal Council’s Transport Committee to promote ETCS vehicle components in rail transport from the German Reconstruction and Resilience Plan (DARP) funds.
Necessary Financial Resources Previously Denied
A report published by the Federal Ministry of Transport in 2018 calculates that initially all vehicles and then the railway lines should be equipped with ETCS. The necessary financial resources for the vehicle retrofitting, which can cost up to 400,000 euros, have been denied by the Ministry of Finance so far, except for one exception for the “Digital Hub Stuttgart,” despite a commitment to ETCS in the coalition agreement.
Germany has access to more than 22 billion euros in additional EU funds from the EU’s 750 billion euro recovery program. To receive the money, the federal government must coordinate a national “Reconstruction and Resilience Plan” with the EU. The EU Commission has repeatedly indicated that progress in ETCS equipment would be a particularly suitable effect of DARP funding.
Unique Opportunity for a Digitalization Boost
The association sees a unique opportunity to trigger an economic and digitalization boost through EU-funded investments in climate-friendly rail. The state governments of Baden-Württemberg and Hamburg have recognized this and submitted a request in the Transport Committee of the Federal Council, which proposes to use up to four billion euros of DARP funds for equipping rail vehicles with the European control and safety technology ETCS.
Ludolf Kerkeling, Chairman of the NEE, stated: “The federal states are proving that they are serious about modernizing the railway. Currently, the urgently needed financing for the retrofitting of vehicles for the nationwide rollout of ETCS is lacking to achieve the new goal of completing the digitalization of control and safety technology by 2035.”
If the plenary session of the Federal Council approves the request on March 5, Kerkeling hopes that the Federal Ministry of Finance, led by SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz, will abandon its resistance to complete and rapid digitalization and join the Ministry of Transport.
Photo: © NEE
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