Question for written answer E-004742/2017 to the Commission

Hugues Bayet (S&D)

The railway sector is crucial for the EU, not only for the sake of mobility and as a response to environmental challenges, but also as a provider of jobs (as many as 400 000 jobs are directly linked to the sector).

Within the sector, the promotion of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) seems vital for linking up the European rail network and for creating jobs.

In the Resolution approved by Parliament in June 2016 on the competitiveness of the European rail supply industry, the Commission is called on to help with further harmonised deployment of the ERTMS, in cooperation with the European Railway Agency (ERA), within the EU and to promote ERTMS outside the EU.

Can the Commission say exactly how it is planning to further promote the ERTMS, in particular through the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Fund for Strategic Investments?

Does it not take the view that the limits imposed on public investment in the context of austerity policy could have serious repercussions for the development of the ERTMS, and therefore for mobility within the EU?

Answer given by Ms Bulc on behalf of the Commission:

Following three Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Transport calls for proposals in the period 2014-2016, the Commission has allocated about EUR 1.1 billion co-funding to The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) projects. Under the CEF “Blending Call” published in February 2017 and combining CEF grants and private financing, the submitted  ERTMS project proposals requested funding of four times the indicative budget. The proposals' evaluation is ongoing and will be finalised in December 2017.

In order to avoid serious repercussions for the development of the ERTMS in the context of limited public investment in infrastructure, the Commission adopted the European Deployment Plan on ERTMS (ERTMS EDP) in January 2017, which is the result of consultation and negotiation with Member States, carried out by the European ERTMS Coordinator Karel Vinck over the last two years. This consultation resulted in deployment targets dates until 2023 based on the commitments made by the Member States and rail infrastructure managers. The ERTMS EDP will be updated in 2023 and define precise implementation dates between 2024 and 2030. It will ensure the phased implementation of ERTMS in Europe and facilitate the planning of investment and resources for railway undertakings and infrastructure managers.

On 20 June 2017 the Commission presented the draft ERTMS Deployment Action Plan, which is subject to stakeholder consultation until October 2017.