Abstract

Pio Guido
Head of the ERTMS Unit at the European Union Agency for Railways

Presentation title:
The Agency view on ERTMS

Summary
ERTMS is a game changer in itself.

The technical challenges of the system are the tip of the iceberg: the realization of the ambitious vision of a single harmonized system in Europe require a step change in the cooperation and proactive engagements of all the different actors in railway sector.
Abstract

ERTMS is an essential component of the Single European railway Area, meant to deliver interoperability, safety, market efficiency through standard products and system, protection of investments combined with managed evolution to capture business driven innovation.
ERTMS is a major industrial programme in Europe, and it is supported in all major EU initiatives, in the 4th Rail Package, CEF funding priorities, in Shift2Rail, and of course in the Regulation of the Agency.

The benefits of ERTMS cannot be delivered by virtue of the Technical Specifications alone. The harmonized requirements must be implemented in product and systems, and deployed in a coordinated manner throughout EU to deliver business cases for RU and IMs. The ambitious plan to deploy ERTMS requires from industry a significant capacity to deliver, but also efficient processes for testing, authorization and training.

As a digital, connected software system, ERTMS requires different sets of skills in the rail sector, including the need to procure ERTMS with adequate provisions for after sale servicing and support for software releases.

The future role of the Agency in issuing Authorizations for vehicles, and approvals for ERTMs trackside implementations will help improving the harmonized and transparent application of the technical solution and of the effective and efficient implementation of the certification and authorization processes.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed in September 2016 lays down the ground rules and the commitment of the sector, and the establishment of the ERTMS Stakeholders Platform can rely on the support and contribution at CEO level from all major players. Collectively we are putting in place the necessary elements to enable the EU railways to accept the challenge of ERTMS, a demonstration of the vitality of the railways, and a concrete demonstration of our engagement to be a safe, connected and affordable means of transport.

Bio
Pio Guido is the Head of the ERTMS Unit at the European Union Agency for Railways. Born in Italy in 1962, he is an electronic engineer who developed his career in Europe and in the USA in the field of automation for industrial control and transport systems.

He joined the Italian Railways in 1997 in the signaling department. In 2001 he moved to Bruxelles as Deputy Managing Director of the ERTMS Users Group. He has been working at the European Railway Agency since its initial establishment, in 2005.

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