Finland wins EU exemption to run ETCS over commercial mobile networks

ePressi reports that Finland has been granted an exemption to use commercial mobile phone networks for communications between trains and the European Train Control System (ETCS), allowing the Digirata project to rely on existing telecom infrastructure. That should speed deployment across the network.

The exemption permits continuous radio-based ETCS data to be transmitted over operators' commercial networks rather than building a separate, nationwide rail-only radio network. Väylävirasto said this avoids the cost and complexity of a dedicated 5G-level network and accelerates the rollout of the new system.

"The solution is both technically and economically significant," said Esa Sirkiä, head of the relevant department at Väylävirasto. "Building a separate, nationwide 5G-level communications network solely for rail traffic would cost well over one hundred million euros. By using existing commercial networks, savings of tens of millions of euros can be achieved, while also leveraging infrastructure that operators continue to develop and maintain."

Project manager Juha Lehtola said Finland has pursued regulatory change for 15 years. He suggested the exemption could offer lessons for other European countries transitioning from GSM-R to the FRMCS standard, and that experience from Finnish tests can be applied elsewhere on the continent.

Trials have been underway for several years and have met the project's targets. Digirata's nationwide coverage tests reached their goals in a 2023 report titled Public Mobile Radio Networks – Suitability for ETCS Traffic, and a year-long ETCS trial on the Kouvola–Kotka–Hamina test track demonstrated both coverage and operational reliability. The next stage moves to the Tampere–Pori/Rauma line, planned as the first section for regular passenger and freight traffic, with Väylävirasto working alongside Fintraffic and the Ministry of Transport and Communications.