Germany announces ERTMS Coordination Office launch

German Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder announced the ERTMS Coordination Office. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The office will coordinate the measures required for the technology. It will also support their seamless implementation.

According to the Federal Ministry of Transport, the office will serve as the central point of contact for questions related to ERTMS and ETCS. ERTMS stands for European Rail Traffic Management System. ETCS stands for European Train Control System. In addition, it will coordinate funding for converting existing rolling stock to the new technology.

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Federal Minister Patrick Schnieder said:
With this coordination office, the Federal Ministry of Transport is actively driving forward the digitalisation of the railways.

Together with our partners, we will ensure that the necessary measures are implemented quickly and that the German rail network becomes fit for the demands of the future.

ERTMS Coordination Office structure and timeline

The decision was made by the Round Table on Digitalisation, as Railway-News reports. It was itself initiated by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV).

The office will act as a steering committee. Its voting members will include representatives of the federal states. They will also include the public transport authorities represented by the BSN. They will also include railway undertakings stipulated in the Federal Railway Expansion Act. These are represented by VDV, mofair, and DIE GÜTERBAHNEN. DB InfraGO AG will also be a voting member.

The BMV will chair the steering committee. The office will be located at PD – Berater der öffentlichen Hand GmbH. It will commence its work immediately. Its organisational structure will be evaluated on 30 June 2027.

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