Reute's three don’ts are:

  • don't undermine the ERTMS deployment strategy - it will take five to six years to develop FRMCS and GSM-R and FRMCS will have to coexist and must be able to run in parallel
  • don't endanger compatibility - we must guarantee backwards compatibility, and Baseline 3 should the basis for development, and
  • don't create “sunk” investments (in things which have no future).

The three dos are:

  • ensure sufficient spectrum, but we should not develop propriety solutions for rail as it will make it very costly
  • ensure a smooth transition within a defined timeframe because dual trackside installations will be there for some time, and
  • develop a concrete industrial vision with standardisation to achieve significant reductions in unit costs.

Reute also wants railways to plan for the decommissioning of the legacy class B signalling system as he says this is the only way to get the full benefits of ERTMS.

“FRCMS must be fully interoperable with simplified off-site testing procedures,” Reute told delegates. “We need research and innovation to develop a much simpler on-board installation than we have today.

“I am convinced that FRMCS will be a key component of a digital railway network. But we must be aware of cyber security threats from the outset, otherwise we will have big problems. We must also be able to integrate new functions such as satellite signalling.”