 ERTMS logo | |
| Formation | 1998/1999 |
|---|---|
| Website | http://www.ertms.net/ |
The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is the system of standards for management and interoperation of signalling for railways by the European Union (EU). It is conducted by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and is the organisational umbrella for the separately managed parts of
- GSM–R (communication),
- European Train Control System (ETCS, signalling),
- European Train Management Layer (ETML, payload management)
The main target of ERTMS is to promote the interoperability of trains in the EU. It aims to greatly enhance safety, increase efficiency of train transports and enhance cross-border interoperability of rail transport in Europe. This is done by replacing former national signalling equipment and operational procedures with a single new Europe-wide standard for train control and command systems.
The development process was started with the technical foundations for communication (GSM-R) and signalling (ETCS). Both are well established and in advanced public implementation worldwide[citation needed]. Now[when?] it begins to start attention for the 3rd part of ETML i.e. for fleet management or passenger information.