Rome, 26 August 2025
Installation of the ERTMS (European Rail Transport Management System) on board FS Italiane Group trains continues at a rapid pace. With a EUR 70 million investment, partly from the European 'Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) - Transport 2014-2020 and 2021-2027' programme, 442 locomotives will be refurbished.
In particular, 382 Trenitalia vehicles - including 272 regional trains, 74 Intercity and Eurocity trains, and 36 High Speed trains - and 60 FS Logistix locomotives will be affected by this technological upgrade. Completion of the installation on Trenitalia's entire fleet, totalling around 2,000 on-board systems and a EUR 700 million investment, is expected by 2030, while the extension of the on-board installation to FS Logistix's vehicles is scheduled by 2033. The latter is complemented by the new Mercitalia Rail and TX Logistik locomotives, currently being delivered and already ERTMS-ready, and some of Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal shunting locomotives.
‘The installation of the ERTMS on board trains is a crucial step, perfectly integrated with the other initiatives FS Group is implementing on the rail network. This operation is indispensable to ensure communications between on-board and infrastructure technologies, allowing each convoy to benefit from significant service quality improvements, in terms of safety and innovation. The intervention is in line with the objectives of FS Group's 2025-2029 Strategic Plan, expected to achieve 100% coverage of the Core Extended network with the ERTMS system by 2040,’ said Stefano Antonio Donnarumma, FS Group’s CEO and General Manager.
FS Group is striving to make its fleet fully interoperable and compliant with European standards, allowing trains to travel on the Continent's high-speed lines, and guaranteeing more efficient seamless connections to major European destinations.
The ERTMS is the most advanced railway signalling system on the international scene, and has been chosen by the European Union as the single standard for the supervision and control of train spacing. The ERTMS is key to increase the railway system’s performance, leading to improvements in traffic flows and service quality.
The extensive adoption of the ERTMS by FS Group is both a technological upgrade and part of its strategic vision to build a modern, efficient and sustainable railway system. This commitment is reflected not only in technological trains upgrades, but also in the infrastructure, through the work of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (FS Italiane Group), which has completed the system implementation on a further 1,400 kilometres of network thanks to NRRP funds. An achievement that marks a concrete step towards the digitisation and interoperability of the national network, fully in line with European objectives.