Solutions for Cross-Border Technical Interoperability With ERTMS: ERTMS-PTC Convergence

This paper provides an overview of current solutions for Cross-Border technical interoperability offered by ERTMS and introduces convergence points between the ERTMS and PTC system architectures.

Seen as an overlay system for legacy national ATP/ATC in Europe, ERTMS definition was initiated with the announced purpose of solving cross-border technical interoperability. Beyond the carrier for voice and data radio communications, the paper will introduce the current technical solutions to ensure interoperability, the building blocks and founding principles, focusing on key requirements and design choices.

The reasons for the global success of ERTMS well outside Europe will be explored, offering the author’s view on factors that influenced decision making in favor of ERTMS-based system solutions, and provided significant commercial success (end of 2014, more track-km were fitted with ERTMS outside Europe). The same system architecture that ensured technical interoperability, allowed purchasing decisions supporting ERTMS, due to perceived inter-changeability of technical components (multi-vendor supply was ensured), along with public availability of detailed system specifications and hazard analyses.

To conclude, the paper will review the convergence points between ERTMS and PTC, and offer a possible way forward into using ERTMS building blocks for a PTC solution.