Rome, 18 July 2025
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (FS Group) has completed the installation of the advanced ERTMS (European Rail Transport Management System) on 1,400 kilometres of network, reaching the medium-term goal set out by measure 1.4 of NRRP Mission M3C1 for the development of the European Rail Transport Management System well in time.
The intervention was funded with EUR 2.5 billion from NRRP funds and will affect around 2,800 kilometres of network to be completed by June 2026, consistently with the strategic objective of expanding ERTMS technology - already adopted on high-speed lines - to the entire network managed by RFI.
The newly completed technology upgrades are a tangible example of the benefits of the 1,200 construction sites active every day and the increasing number of interruptions in recent years, which have risen from 160,000 in 2023 to a projected 345,000 by 2025, most of them during lower traffic periods for workers and commuter students.
The works, carried out by Hitachi, Alstom, Mermec and Progress Rail, involved a total of around 2,000 workers, including technicians from the Italian FS Group, from the operating companies RFI and Italferr, and from contractors. A total of 21 lines or sections have benefited from ERTMS equipment, out of a total of 1,489 kilometres: Domodossola-Arona, Gallarate-Rho, Merano-Bolzano, Rovigo-Chioggia in the North; Firenze-Roma Direttissima, Viareggio-Bivio Arcola, Grosseto-Civitavecchia, Civitanova Marche-Albacina, Terni-Sulmona, Campoleone-Nettuno, Ciampino-Frascati/Albano, Roccasecca-Avezzano in the Centre; HS/HC Roma-Napoli (ERTMS technology upgrade in operation), Lamezia Terme Centrale-Catanzaro Lido, Catanzaro Lido-Sibari in the South; and Cagliari-Oristano, Oristano-Chilivani, Chilivani-Olbia-Golfo Aranci, Siracusa-Canicattì, Caltanissetta Xirbi-Aragona Caldare-Lercara, Alcamo-Trapani via Castelvetrano in the Islands.
ERTMS is the most advanced railway signalling system on the international scene, and has therefore been chosen by the European Union as the single standard for the supervision and control of train spacing. There are currently 1,200 kilometres of network in Italy equipped with this technology, which ensure greater infrastructure reliability, leading to an improvement in traffic regularity and service quality. In addition to improved performance, ERTMS also allows to save on operating and maintenance costs compared to traditional signalling systems.
Works will continue in the coming months and will affect conventional lines, urban nodes and the European Corridors throughout the country, including the Roma-Firenze Direttissima line, with the Rovezzano-Orvieto section already completed, and activation of the technology expected to be carried out on the remaining 105 km between Orvieto and Settebagni, including the relevant interconnections.
ERTMS promotes interoperability between railway operators from different countries and improves performance by increasing reliability, allowing more trains to pass through and contributing to greater punctuality. Information exchanged continuously via radio between the track-side and on-board subsystems allows following the train's progress moment by moment, providing the driver with all the necessary driving data in advance, with the activation of emergency braking if any of the parameters are not met or the train's speed exceeds the permitted values.
This interoperable radio technology applied so far to high-speed trains can be adaptable to any kind of train, and, as such, it will be progressively extended to conventional lines by coordinating the technological equipping on trainsets in parallel. This action will bring benefits in terms of landscape, with the elimination of the signalling systems that currently line the tracks, and in terms of environment, thanks to the energy savings inherent in the system that allows the speed, acceleration and braking of trains to be regulated.
ERTMS represents the best short-term investment to improve the network’s performance and make it more modern, resilient, interconnected and accessible.
From a technical standpoint, ERTMS is the latest generation technology that offers further opportunities in terms of performance, safety and regularity of service:
· Journey time recoveries with constant monitoring and recalibration of the maximum speed in relation to both the specific route travelled within a station and the actual traffic flow.
· Increase in the maximum permissible speed, compatibly with the characteristics of the infrastructure.
· Reduction of the impact on road traffic at level crossings, which are closed based on the train’s actual run.
· Improved timeliness of information to the public (timely information on arrival linked to the exact location).
Implementation of the interventions financed with NRRP funds and the simultaneous achievement of the relevant milestones - is proceeding on schedule, as shown by the progress of major works and the completion of the first stage of station upgrading works in Central-Southern Italy.