Rail Carriers Call for State Aid to Implement ETCS on Trains

Bratislava, 22 January (TASR) - Representatives of the Slovak Rail Carriers Association (AROS) held a meeting with the Transport Ministry on Thursday, requesting that state aid should be made available for deploying the European Train Control System (ETCS) on their fleets, TASR reported on the same day. According to AROS executive director Patrik Benka, the cost of implementing ETCS on trains is expected to be high. "The price per unit is around €500,000, and it can be as much as €1 million for a prototype. The total costs for AROS members will therefore reach some €108 million," stated Benka, adding that it's impossible for these costs to be borne solely by the carriers. For instance, state aid covers up to 80 percent of total eligible costs in the Czech Republic, and it was financed from EU funds and the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure. With this support, the Czech Republic was able to introduce full ETCS coverage in January 2025. The system currently covers 653 kilometres of major rail routes and has been installed on 1,900 engines, keeping control over 1,600 trains on a daily basis, added Benka. In Slovakia, the main rail routes are scheduled to be equipped with ETCS by the end of 2030 and will cover a distance of some 770 kilometres. According to AROS, the system is currently used on three sections, i.e. Bratislava Raca–Puchov, Puchov–Zilina, and Zilina–Cadca, with a total distance of 220 kilometres, which accounts for some 29 percent of the main railway network. "Currently, more than half of our electric engines, that is, 66 percent, or 371 engines, are fitted with mobile ETCS units," explained Benka. Conversely, ETCS is installed on seven diesel engines, 2 percent of their total number. Given the requirement to have engines on main rail routes fitted with ETCS by 1 January 2031, the carriers need to upgrade a further 44 electric and 108 diesel engines. By 2040, the system should cover a wider railway network and, by 2050, the entire national network. jrg/df