Summary

The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) was introduced to enable trains to run across national borders throughout the EU rail network without technical and administrative barriers. The legal framework set by the European Commission for this purpose is binding on the Member States. Central to this is the European Train Control System (ETCS), to which national railways must upgrade, covering not only the railway lines but also the trains and locomotives. For the ÖBB Group, the implementation of ERTMS brought about a significant digitalization boost, as the Austrian Court of Audit (ACA) notes in its report „European Rail Traffic Management System in the ÖBB Group“ (pdf, in German), which was published today. At the time of the ACA's audit, the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) were using both established national train control systems and ETCS. In some cases, however, the ÖBB were unable to put already converted systems into operation because approvals from the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure were pending. At the time of the ACA's audit, regulatory approvals from the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure were still pending for five ERTMS subsystems, even though the installations had already been technically completed. The reason for this was legal uncertainty regarding authorization requirements under railway legislation. As a result, the installations could not be put into operation. In view of the expected improvement in safety that ERTMS will bring compared with the existing equipment, the ACA recommends that outstanding legal issues be clarified and pending procedures concluded as soon as possible.