Until February of last year, ETCS was introduced in exclusive operation on 622 kilometers of mostly corridor lines. By 2030, the system should be in operation on 1,500 kilometers of main lines and by 2033 on approximately 5,000 kilometers. The total costs are estimated at almost 49 billion crowns.
The SAO stated that while there was an increase in safety in connection with the introduction of the system, which is evidenced by a single stop sign project between February and August of last year, other expected benefits failed to materialize.
“In order for more trains to run on the tracks at the same time and also faster, it is necessary to change the existing train control system and introduce the most technically advanced level of the system at the moment. SŽ has not yet changed train control,” the inspectors stated.
The Ministry of Transport emphasizes that the main goals of the introduction of ETCS were to increase the safety and reliability of traffic, which, according to him, was achieved.
They also drew attention to the slow implementation of the system, which is still not on all important corridor lines. According to the inspection, out of 99 system implementation actions, they will be completed later than planned.
The inspection reproached the Ministry for not requiring a variant solution of the ETCS level for lines outside the corridors, although the costs can be significantly different in such a case due to the differences in the existing security systems.
Photo: SAO
ETCS system as of 1 January 2026
