ERTMS Worldwide expansion continues, UNIFE statistics say
Stockholm, 25 April 2012 - ERTMS continues to be embraced by an ever-increasing number of nations throughout the world and clearly appears as the worldwide signalling standard, according to the statistics released today by UNIFE, the association of the European Rail Industry.
"Our 2012 statistics confirm the trend which has been going on in recent years, with some major ERTMS contracts awarded in non-European countries, Asia and the Middle East in particular" stated Philippe Citroën, UNIFE Director General. "ERTMS must now be considered as the global signalling standard, being used in 38 nations around the globe thanks to its advantages in terms of performance and multi-supplier opportunities. It is a major asset for the European rail industry on the worldwide rail market".
The UNIFE statistics show that today, more than 62,000km of railway tracks and 7,500 vehicles are already running or contracted to be equipped with ERTMS. Whilst most of these lines will come into operation in the coming years, ERTMS is already in operation on 17,000km of tracks.
Non-European countries account for nearly 50% of the trackside investments, with some major investments ongoing in Asia (29% of the total ERTMS trackside investments) or Africa & the Middle East (14%). ERTMS also demonstrates its ability to cover a variety of applications, from freight (e.g. in Gulf countries) to high-speed lines (Chinese network or Mecca-Medina High-speed line), and suburban transport (Auckland, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro suburban networks). Countries as diverse as China, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Algeria, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Australia or New Zealand are investing in ERTMS.
In Europe, the past months have been marked by the signature of major contracts in countries like Denmark, Switzerland, or Belgium, where ERTMS is foreseen to be installed on the entire railway network. The further equipment of major pan-European axis is foreseen under the European ERTMS Deployment plan.
"Wherever ERTMS is installed, it has brought considerable benefits in terms of railway operations", Citroën explained. "As far as Europe is concerned, it is important to ensure a coordinated and fast migration, and put an end to the situation where some countries located at the heart of Europe postpone their investments, thereby slowing down the creation of an interoperable European railway area".
About UNIFE
UNIFE represents the European Rail Industry in Brussels since 1992. The Association gathers more than 70 of Europe's leading large and medium-sized rail supply companies active in the design, manufacture, maintenance and refurbishment of rail transport systems, subsystems and related equipment. A further one thousand suppliers of railway equipment partake in UNIFE activities through 13 national rail industry associations. UNIFE members have an 80% market share in Europe and supply more than 50% of the worldwide production of rail equipment and services.
UNIFE represents its members' interests at the level of both European and international institutions. On the technical side, UNIFE works on the setting of interoperability standards and coordinates EU-funded research projects that aim at the technical harmonisation of railway systems. The association is one of the supporting bodies of the European Railway Agency.
UNIFE. Promote rail market growth for sustainable mobility.
About ERTMS
The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) aims at replacing more than 20 different national train control and command systems in Europe, which are a major technical barrier to international rail traffic. ERTMS introduces considerable benefits in terms of interoperability, maintenance cost savings, increased safety and increased traffic capacity. By making the rail sector more competitive, ERTMS helps to level the playing field against road transport and ultimately provides significant environmental gains. There is an estimated 62,000km of railway tracks contracted to be equipped or are already operating with ERTMS in the world, nearly 50% of which are outside the EU. Please see loc.ertmsnew.
For further information, please contact:
UNIFE
Max Obenaus
Head of Communications
221, avenue Louise, bte 11
B-1050 Brussels
Tel +32 2 643 70 80
Email max.obenaus[a]unife.org