ETCS Level 2 migration in Austria, ETCS Phase 3.1 and 3.2

ongoing

This project underscores the critical need for increased train frequency and longer train operations, driven by the European Union's economic integration and the liberalization of national railway markets. To support this vision, the project requests Union aid to facilitate the implementation of ERTMS/ETCS Level 2 track-side systems on Austria's Trans-European Transport Core Network. Austria's ETCS migration strategy is structured into three key phases: 3.1, 3.2, and 4. With Phase 3.1 already underway and nearing completion—full implementation expected by 2027—the proposed project focuses on advancing to Phase 3.2. This involves equipping critical sections of Austria's rail network, spanning over 1200 km, along the Baltic–Adriatic, Western Balkans–Eastern Mediterranean, Rhine–Danube, and Scandinavian–Mediterranean Core Network Corridors. Falling under the scope of this project proposal, the track-side hardware for ETCS Level 2 should be implemented on already existing tracks of 539,90 km in total length equivalent to 495.20 km double track. This also requires the construction of several Radio Block Centres (RBCs) by the end of 2027. The proposed project directly addresses the establishment of technically interoperable systems as foreseen in Regulation 2023/1695on the technical specifications for interoperability relating to the ‘controlcommand and signalling’ subsystems of the rail system (TSI CSS), and thus aims to improve the rail service quality for all railway undertakings using the Austrian rail network in a non-discriminatory manner. By allowing more efficient, long-distance train operations along the TEN-T network, the deployment of ETCS Level 2 along the Austrian rail network embedded therein, should contribute to reductions in delays, increases in the operational capacity, and eventually result in further improvements in the safety of train operations across Europe.