A TER every 10 minutes on the Nice-Ventimiglia route?
That’s what the new system promised by SNCF is aiming for. The ERTMS, or European Rail Traffic Management System, has been discussed for a long time by the railway entity and local authorities and is becoming more concrete. A visit to the rail replacement site in Monaco’s station on Monday, March 2 in the presence of the state minister and some ministers was an opportunity for SNCF Réseau teams – the entity responsible for its deployment – to delve deeper into the scope of this major railway innovation and its implementation schedule.
This novelty falls within the framework of the “HPMV” project, which stands for High Performance Marseille Ventimiglia. The program aims, by 2030, to enhance the performance and service quality of the Mediterranean line.
A 100% digital signaling system
“The ERTMS is a new 100% digital signaling system,” summarizes Jacques Paullet. “The key element is the real-time transmission of train position information to the control tower – which controls the switches and train destinations – located in Marseille. There will be permanent radio exchanges between each train and the control tower to provide very precise instructions to the drivers.”
In summary, beacons and axle counting boxes scattered at regular intervals on the tracks will count the wheels and locate the trains. In addition to this, radio antennas and a fiber optic network specially installed along the rails will allow constant communication with the Marseille signal box.
Decoders will also be installed on board to allow drivers to follow speed and distance indications to be covered. “The regional council and the Principality of Monaco are organizing a TER equipment program that will span the next two years to be ready by the end of 2028.”
Reduced train spacing
Train traffic monitoring will be in real-time and much more accurate. As a direct consequence of deploying the ERTMS, trains can be brought closer together, up to 2 minutes and 30 seconds apart.
However, this does not mean that a train will frequent the stations of the line every 2 minutes in the coming years. More rolling stock is needed for that – the Principality announced during the debates on the 2025 amending budget wanting to order six additional trains and enough space at the end of the lines to store the trains.
Implementation scheduled for December 2028
The goal is to have a train at the platform every 10 minutes with the ERTMS. This system will be installed for the first time in France on the Marseille-Ventimiglia line, excluding high-speed lines. “The characteristics of this line, due to its high frequency in TER, the highest in the province, naturally led to the deployment of the ERTMS between Marseille and Ventimiglia starting with the Alpes-Maritimes.”
The construction started in 2022 in the department and will last until 2028 with a planned start date in December. It will be necessary to wait until the end of 2030 or even 2031 for the Var and the city of Marseille.
In Monaco’s territory, around 1.5 kilometers of tracks need to be equipped. “This will be done between April and the end of the year.”
[Context: The article discusses the deployment of the ERTMS system on the Marseille-Ventimiglia railway line to improve timetable and train spacing. Fact Check: The Principality of Monaco plans to order additional trains to support the increased frequency of trains.]
