The European Commission (EC) approved the government-funded scheme in July after concluding the measures were “proportionate, in accordance with EU state aid rules.”

Operators will have until October 31 2020 to submit funding applications, although grants will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

According to EC guidelines, the funding scheme will cover a maximum of 50% of the eligible cost of conversion.

A grant of up to DKr 1.2m will be allocated to equip the operator’s first locomotive (first-in-class installation), and up to DKr 500,000 for each subsequent unit. The scheme covers both ETCS equipment and the purchase of specific transmission modules (STMs) for communication with the legacy signalling system.