German Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder has announced the launch of the ERTMS Coordination Office, which will seek to ensure that all necessary measures related to the technology are both coordinated and seamlessly implemented.
The Office will serve as the central point of contact for all queries related to ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) and ETCS (European Train Control System), as well as coordinate funding for the conversion of existing rolling stock to the new technology.
The Office will act as the main point of contact for all ERTMS and ETCS queries
© Federal Ministry of Transport
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.
The decision to establish the coordination office was made by the Round Table on Digitalisation, which was itself initiated by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV). The office will act as a steering committee, whose voting members will include representatives of the federal states, the public transport authorities (represented by the BSN), the associations of railway undertakings stipulated in the Federal Railway Expansion Act (represented by VDV , mofair, and DIE GÜTERBAHNEN), and DB InfraGO AG.
The BMV will chair the steering committee, and the office itself will be located at PD – Berater der öffentlichen Hand GmbH and will commence its work immediately, with the organisational structure set to be evaluated on 30 June 2027.