Overview
The need to harmonise train control systems on a common European basis has led to a set of initiatives aiming at implementing a European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). The strategic goal is to ensure the efficient interoperability of railway networks.
ERTMS Tests addressed the full range of preparatory activities required for full-scale trials of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) in a number of pilot sites to be located in France, Germany and Italy. The two main objectives have been to establish user requirements' specifications for a common interoperable ERTMS and to customise these specifications for different national trial sites.
Funding
Results
ERTMS Tests has produced:
- a System Requirement Specification (SRS), which describes all technical details and integrates the Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (RAMS) documentation;
- a review of interface specifications between the elements of the system in order to ensure interoperability of the European Train Control System (ETCS);
- a set of specifications for testing the system, including scenarios for demonstration sites in different countries;
- Specific Transmission Module (STM) prototypes for future testing;
- three contracts for pilot and demonstration sites, taking account of the need to upgrade existing commercial lines - the selected trial sites comprised a 40 km long TGV link between Paris CDG airport and Tournan (SNCF), a 40 km long section of the Berlin-Halle/Leipzig main line (DB), and a 70 km long high speed line between Arezzo and Firenze (FS);
- regular CD-ROMs to disseminate all project results to relevant stakeholders and actors.
Policy implications
The project's results will contribute to the implementation of the whole ERTMS/ETCS concept by proving the feasibility of new common approaches towards rail traffic management systems. By elaborating all relevant technical specifications, the project helped bridge the gap to pilot and demonstration applications in existing railway environments.