Industry and policy representatives met in Brussels to discuss the European Commission’s proposed ERTMS Deal, which aims to reduce costs and speed up rollout through a common blueprint, a funding condition and fast-track approvals.
EU-Rail has hosted a side event in Brussels on the European Commission’s proposed “ERTMS Deal”, a plan intended to move European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) deployment away from a fragmented approach and towards a standardised, EU-wide solution.
The event formed part of Connecting Europe Days 2026 and drew around 200 participants to the Infrabel Academy.
Addressing fragmentation in ERTMS deployment
ERTMS deployment has long been constrained by fragmentation, resulting in complexity, higher costs and a lack of compatibility between infrastructure and vehicle equipment.
To address these challenges, the European Commission has proposed an “ERTMS Deal” built around three core pillars: a European blueprint for ERTMS, a funding condition through a “Single European Rail Area label”, and a fast-track approval process by the EU Agency for Railways for compliant projects.
Panel discussions on harmonisation and implementation
The event opened with welcome addresses from Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General of DG MOVE at the European Commission, and David Van Sype, Chief Operations Officer at Infrabel.
The first panel, “Call for a Faster Deployment of ERTMS and Deeper Harmonisation”, was moderated by Monika Heiming, Executive Director of EIM. Speakers were Matthias Ruete, European Coordinator for ERTMS; Gerard Scheffrahn, Programme Director of ERTMS Netherlands; Mathieu Delecrin, Head of New Fleet at Eurostar; Rainer Beller, Engineering Director at Beacon Rail Capital Europe; and Aymeric Sarrazin, President Digital & Integrated System at Alstom.
The second panel, “How to Implement an ERTMS Deal”, was moderated by Joachim Lücking, Head of Unit Rail Safety and Interoperability at DG MOVE. Panellists were Ian Conlon, Head of System Pillar, Communication and Outreach; Oana Gherghinescu, Executive Director of the EU Agency for Railways; Eric Morand, Head of Digital Signalling Programme at SNCF Réseau; Gemma Salazar Luque, Head of Technology Edge at Hitachi Rail; and Piotr Glinka, Head of Sector ERTMS at CINEA.
Speakers emphasised that delivering the ERTMS Deal will require coordinated action by Member States, industry and stakeholders, prioritising standardised solutions and more effective use of EU funding.
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