The mission of the ertms users group is to help the railway companies in applying ERTMS/ETCS in a harmonized and interoperable way, to enable the free flow of trains and a competitive railway.

About Us

ERTMS is an abbreviation of European Rail Traffic Management System. ERTMS consists of ETCS (European Train Control System), a radio-based communication system for rail (presently GSM-R, to be replaced by FRMCS) and ETML (European Traffic Management Layer, providing information about the location of trains on the network). The ERTMS Users Group focuses its activities on ETCS and the ETCS related part of the radio-based communication system.

The ERTMS Users Group offers a platform for railways peers to share experiences and to consolidate their views. The members of the ERTMS Users Group are railway companies with large investments in ERTMS (typically more than €250 million).

The ERTMS Users Group is dedicated to technical and operational matters and guidance on commercial implications and impacts.

The ERTMS Users Group works closely together with the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), UNISIG (the international association of signalling companies in the railway industry), the Railway Operational Communications Industry Group, (the providers of railway telecommunication systems) and the independent laboratories involved in the testing of ERTMS equipment.

The ERTMS Users Group advises the Community of European Railways (CER), the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM), the Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants (ALLRAIL), the Association of European Rail Rolling Stock Lessors (AERRL) and the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA), together with the International Union of Railways (UIC).

The ERTMS Users Group also advises the European Core Network Corridor organisations in the deployment of ERTMS on their rail freight corridors.

RU ERTMS Platform

The ERTMS Users Group set up a dedicated platform in 2013 for large rolling stock owners to share experiences and ideas to obtain and maintain, at lowest costs possible, a fleet which is capable to run on all ERTMS equipped parts of the European network. Other rolling stock owners are represented by CER, ERFA, AERRL and the Rail Delivery Group.

Discussed are the relevant and practical issues concerning tendering, installation, putting into service, performance and maintenance of ERTMS On Board Units in rolling stock.

The participants in this platform are:

• AERRL – the Association of European Rail Rolling Stock Lessors
• CER – Community of European Railways
• DB Fernverkehr and DB Cargo – Germany
• DSB – Denmark
• ERFA – European Rail Freight Association
• MRCE – The Netherlands/Germany
• Rail Delivery Group – United Kingdom
• NS – The Netherlands
• ÖBB – Austria
• SBB- Switzerland
• SNCB – Belgium
• SNCF – France
• Trenitalia – Italy
• VR – Finland