THE European Railway Agency (ERA), which became operational in 2006, was set up by the European Union as part of its plan to create a single railway area. ERA is responsible for developing a common approach to safety, safety regulation and accident investigation, enhancing interoperability through the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs) which it sets for railways and manufacturers and by acting as the system authority for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), and facilitating the exchange of information within the railway sector.

Dutch secretary of state for infrastructure Mrs Sharon Dijksma announced on January 14 that the phased rollout out of ERTMS across the national network will be delayed because more time is needed to plan implementation of the programme.

NORWEGIAN infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket has awarded a NKr 250m ($US 28.9m) signalling contract to Thales for the Follo Line project, Norway largest infrastructure project.

FOR the first time a train has operated under ETCS with cab signalling through central London marking six years of development by Network Rail (NR) for the Thameslink upgrading project.

Italian State Railways (FS) is pushing the boundaries of ERTMS to raise line speeds on its high-speed network, increase capacity in the major cities, improve interoperability for freight, reduce the cost of running rural lines to save them from closure, and make better use of the data produced by ERTMS. As Fabio Senesi, head of control and command systems and telecommunications with Italian Rail Network, explains to David Briginshaw, in many cases this means developing solutions ahead of anyone else.

Denmark's bold decision to renew its entire signalling infrastructure raised eyebrows across the signalling community when details of its plans first emerged nearly 10 years ago. With work on the major contracts now well underway, Kevin Smith visited Banedanmark in Copenhagen to find out how the project is progressing.

PLANS for the electrification of the 60km Merano - Malles Venosta Valley line in northern Italy were presented to local mayors on September 17 by South Tyrol provincial councillor for mobility Mr Florian Mussner and the president of South Tyrol Transport Authority (STA) Mr Martin Ausserdorfer.

The Czech Republic is currently engaged in an unprecedented programme of infrastructure upgrades. Pavel Surý, director general of Czech railway infrastructure manager SŽDC, speaks exclusively to Kevin Smith and Quintus Vosman about how this work is transforming domestic and international services.

NORWEGIAN infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket marked the completion of the country's first ERTMS deployment on August 31, when transport minister Mr Ketil Solvik-Olsen officially reopened the 80km Ski – Sarpsborg Østfold Line.

BELGIAN infrastructure manager Infrabel has finally signed a €510m contract for the rollout of ETCS Level 2 across 36% of Belgium's mainline network, almost a year after selecting a consortium of Siemens and Cofely Fabricom, Belgium, as preferred bidder.