Alongside with trackside ERTMS deployment, the third ERTMS report by European Coordinator Matthias Ruete shows that there are 8,730 vehicles equipped with onboard ETCS, representing 19% of the total rolling stock fleet of approximately 45,060 vehicles.
Of the total number, there are 4,226 vehicles (19%) that are contracted, and 9,370 (21%) vehicles that are planned, which means that another 13,600 vehicles are to be equipped with ETCS. In contrast, there are no plans to equip 22,737 vehicles, representing 51% of the total, with ETCS.
From an operational point of view, infrastructure managers can switch to exclusive ETCS operation, with the simultaneous withdrawal of Class B systems, only to the extent that railway operators and leasing companies have already equipped the relevant rolling stock. The full benefits of ERTMS implementation can only be achieved once the entire rolling stock fleet has been equipped with ETCS and has received the necessary authorization to operate in this system.
As regards the type of ETCS, 24% representing 2082 units of vehicles are equipped with ETCS level 2, while 17% (1491 units) are equipped with Baseline 3 and 1% (42 vehicles) with pre-baseline 2, which is a non-interoperable level. At the other end of the spectrum are the remaining 5,116 vehicles, i.e. 58% of the total rolling stock, for which there is no information on the specific level with which they are equipped.
Between 2021 and 2024, approximately 3,400 vehicles were put into service, with an annual average of 850 units.
Vehicles equipped with ETCS at the state level
By 2030, it is estimated that 18,000 vehicles, or 40% of the total rolling stock fleet, will be equipped with ETCS. While Luxembourg has equipped its entire rolling stock fleet, it is followed by Belgium, with 80% of its rolling stock equipped with the train signaling and protection system. The next three places are occupied by Denmark, with 70%, Slovakia, with 65%, and the Netherlands, with 59%. Finland also has equipped trains, but they are only approved for STM (standardized interface) operation with the classic system (class B) because this country does not have ERTMS equipped at the rail level.
According to the countries’ plans, by 2030 the Czech Republic and Denmark will have their entire fleets equipped.
For Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Netherlands, the next four years will be marked by the installation of ETCS on board vehicles, with an overall average of over 70%.
By 2040, EU member states will have 18,600 vehicles equipped, representing 41% of the total 45,060 vehicles. In addition, approximately 3,700 vehicles are planned to be equipped with ETCS, but no date has been set for their commissioning. If these vehicles are equipped by 2040, then 50% of the total estimated fleet will be equipped with ETCS by that time.
The report shows that if 9,270 vehicles are equipped between 2025 and 2030, only 645 vehicles will be equipped in the following nine years, starting in 2031, which shows a discrepancy as few countries have presented plans for ETCS implementation on vehicles after 2030.
High costs
Between 2018 and 2022, the costs of retrofitting ERTMS on board vehicles increased from EUR 450,000 to EUR 900,000 per vehicle, and those for updating the system have doubled, reaching EUR 400,000, from EUR 200,000 per vehicle. This is an average published in a European Commission study* from February 2025 conducted by EY and Ineco.
The study analyzes three major factors contributing to the increase in costs: design, which accounts for 20-30% of the total project cost; implementation, accounting for 40-50% of the total cost; and authorization, which accounts for 20-30% of the total project expenditure.
The costs for ETCS-equipped vehicles amount to EUR 10–15 billion in total, of which EUR 5–10 billion is required for vehicles operating on the core network.
Share on:
