ERTMS/ETCS Standard implementation faces criticism from industry organisations

Symbolic picture by Erwin van der Linden

The ERTMS/ETCS  standard, which was intended to be a single, interoperable management, control, and signalling system for European railways, has turned out to be difficult to implement, due to rapid technological development and successive standards at European and national levels.

There is no single ERTMS standard, but a variety of versions with different levels and three evolutions of baselines. Industry organisations such as the Association of European Railway Rolling Stock Lessors (AERRL), the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA), and the Alliance of New Enterprises in Passenger Rail Transport (Allrail) have called for a significant shift in direction.

The demand is for a single variant, preferably the accredited BL3.4 version, to remain the established standard for at least ten years. ESC Types, sometimes specific to each line at European level exceeds over a hundred types, making interoperability on all European Corridors difficult.

Source(in Italian):

Transporteuropa.it 

German Inland Waterway Transport is recovering

Symbolic Picture by Jerzy_Gorecki on Pixabay

In 2024, inland waterway transport in Germany increased by 1.2% compared to the previous year, transporting a total of 173.8 million tons of goods.

The statistics cover loading and unloading of vessels with a load capacity of at least 50 tons in German ports or other loading and unloading sites whose origin or destination is an inland port. However, this was the second-lowest result since the German reunification 1990. Inland waterway freight transport was down 25% compared to 1990 levels and 15.3% compared to the pre-coronavirus level of 2019.

Liquid petroleum products accounted for almost half of the transport volume, followed by iron ore, stone and earth, and coal. Container traffic accounted for 10% of the total transport volume. Transit traffic and shipments abroad contributed to the increase in transport volume, with export traffic growing by 2.8% to 43.2 million tons.

Source(in German):

Binnenschiffahrt-Online.de 

Ports of Genoa starts Port Master Plans Update Process

Symbolic picture by Ports of Genoa

The Port Authority of the Western Ligurian Sea is launching a participation and information process for updating Port Master Plans. The Port System Authority (AdSP) is drafting new plans for Genoa and Savona/Vado to support development and sustainability.

The plans, drafted in 2001 and 2005, require a new edition to respond to economic, technological, and environmental transformations. AdSP is collaborating with sector experts and local communities to encourage dialogue and refine development strategies. Public meetings and consultation activities will take place by summer, involving relevant stakeholders to ensure the port remains an engine of development for the territory.

Source:

PortsOfGenoa