Activities of Barbara THALER related to 2019/2191(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on railway safety and signalling: assessing the state of play of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) deployment
Amendments (21)
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. Whereas there is no legal obligation in place for Member States to adopt measures to ensure that railway undertakings plan the investments in ERTMS and the decision to invest in the retrofitting of the rolling stocks with OBUs lays on the sole initiative of the railway undertakings;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
E b. Whereas the backward compatibility of the ERTMS sub-systems on board units should be necessarily ensured in order to allow for a swift ERTMS deployment combined with the uptake of new command and control technologies such as satellite-driven operations (GNSS) and the automatic train operations (ATO) in the near future;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Points out that harnessing the full potential of ERTMS unquestionably depends on the completion of the TEN-T core network; therefore calls on the EC to strengthen the role of the core network coordinators in the upcoming revision of the TEN-T regulation, including measures for an European management of the core network infrastructure;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Stresses, that the full deployment of ERTMS is a crucial prerequisite for rail to be finally competitive with other modes of transport.
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Points out the necessity to materialize synergies between ERTMS and European GNSS as soon as possible in order to: - reduce costs of deployment; - ensure a quick deployment besides the core network: - enhance the competitiveness of ERTMS outside Europe;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the new tasks entrusted to the Agency under the Fourth Railway Package, and recognises the prominent role of the Agency as a one stop shop which ensures consistency in the development of the interoperable ERTMS, that ERTMS deployment complies with the specifications in force, and that ERTMS- related European research and innovation programmes are coordinated with the development of ERTMS technical specifications. Furthermore calls for a greater involvement of the Agency in conformity-to-type procedures carried out when the sole national area of use of the retrofitted rolling stocks is involved;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. BDeplores the recent downscale of the Agency yearly budget and believes that the Agency should be provided with the appropriate financial resources and powers to overcome the challenges of ERTMS deployment and functioning that still exist (harmonisation of operational rules and requirement, specification maintenance and change, conformity-to-type procedures and public procurement procedures etc.);
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 6 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Calls on ERA to closely coordinate, support and streamline R&D of space and rail stakeholders in order to include GNSS train location in ERTMS as early as possible;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Believes, that the role of the ERTMS Coordinator needs to be significantly improved, both in ressources and implementing powers, in order to reach the deployment targets;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Welcomes the opportunity which is provided by the upcoming revision of the TEN-T Regulation to strengthen the role of the ERMTS coordinator by making his consent obligatory for grants related to the CEF;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines that an approach to ERTMS deployment coordinated between all Member States and led by the ERTMS Coordinator is the only way forward to overcome the current patchwork situation. Therefore, invites the Commission to consider the opportunity to define a framework for discussion and coordination among Member States on ERTMS deployment led by the ERTMS Coordinator, with the aim to foster the exchange of best practices, to encourage joint actions for the ERTMS deployment on cross border corridors, to improve conformity authorization procedures, and to raise the overall commitment of the Member States;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines that an approach to ERTMS deployment coordinated between all Member States, establishing an active dialogue, in particular to conclude agreements on the cross-border sections, and led by the ERTMS Coordinator is the only way forward to overcome the current patchwork situation; More efforts need to be done by the railway infrastructure managers, acting in cooperation, to equip and put into operation ERTMS on cross- border sections simultaneously and in a technical consistent manner;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Believes, that an efficient and quick deployment of ERTMS can only be achieved by setting binding targets, accompanied by generous grants, reinforced by equally high penalties for infrastructure mangers in case the deployment deadline is missed.
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Regrets that compared with the targets set, at the end of 2020 only around 13 % of the core network corridors were operated with the ERTMS, and ERTMS deployment in most of the corridors ranged between 7 % and 28 %; believes that a corridor approach dialogue shall be strength to overcome the obstacles on the deployment of ERTMS, in particular among the corridors with the lowest rates of deployment such as the Atlantic corridor, in particular within the Iberian Peninsula;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls onUrges the Commission to come up with an overarching decommissioning strategy for Class B systems with regulatory deadlines to be set at EU level; believes that the effectiveness of this strategy depends on the involvement of all the actors concerned, including the railway undertakings and the suppliers, in order to give steady signals to the investments in the retrofit of the rolling stocks;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Points out that current national rules and the lack of harmonisation of operational requirements in ERTMS (such as engineering rules ) and on the entire railway network ( such as variable axle gauges, voltage, dimension of the wagons), which may differ along the network, affects interoperability, impeding seamless operation of the European rail network;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Invites the Commission to take initiative to ensure that the conformity-to- type authorising procedures related to the retrofit of ERTMS sub-systems on board fleet for the national area of use are streamlined through swift control operations, and that the conformity processes involving the industrial suppliers and the conformity controls operated by the NSAs on the retrofitted rolling-stock for the sole national area of use do not discourage large-scale and ambitious deployment initiatives from the railway undertakings.
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Recalls that EU financial support is available for ERTMS investments both trackside and on board, but it can only cover a limited amount of the overall cost of deployment, leaving most of the investment to individual infrastructure managers and railway undertakings; nevertheless, underlines that it is necessary to improve the financial instruments in place to incentivise large scale investments of the Railway Undertakings on ERTMS on board units ;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Invites the Commission to consider the opportunity to carry out encompassing guidelines in support of a large-scale strategy for the funding of ERTMS on board units, defining a basket of possible measures that Member States and the European Union may undertake to scale- up the deployment of ERTMS on-board, while ensuring that adequate business case is provided to the undertakings, and taking in due consideration the role of the Network managers as a potential provider. The guidelines should include measures such as discount rates on the investment provided to the Undertakings, toll exemptions on fully ERTMS-used parts of the networks, public funding for the partial or total restoration of investments in line with an ad-hoc strategy for ERTMS in compliance with the State Aid framework;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Calls on the Member States to grant a reduction of track access charges of 75% for at least 10 years for those railway undertakings, which succesfully equipped 100% of their locomotives with ERTMS baseline 3;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Recalls that EU funds are not sufficient to cover all the expected needs. and therefore calls on the Commission and Member States to cooperate closely and make planning, financial and political commitments to further improve the attractiveness of investing in the ERTMS, and to guarantee legal certainty for private investors;