REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the progress made towards achieving interoperability of the Union rail system and the functioning of the European Union Agency for Railways in this context
Date: 2025-07-14
Institutions: Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
Subjects: European Union Agency for Railways, operation of the Institutions, rail network, rail safety, systems interconnection, technical specification, telematics, trans-European network, vehicle on rails, vehicle registration

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 14.7.2025  COM(2025) 384 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the progress made towards achieving interoperability of the Union rail system and the functioning of the European Union Agency for Railways in this context  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

on the progress made towards achieving interoperability of the Union rail system and 
the functioning of the European Union Agency for Railways in this context 

Introduction 

Article 53  of  Directive  (EU)  2016/797  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of 
11 May 2016 on the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union1 requires the 
Commission to report on the progress made towards achieving interoperability of the Union 
rail system and the functioning of the European Union Agency for Railways (‘the Agency’) in 
this context since the Directive’s entry into force. 

This, the first such report, covers the period from 16 June 2016 to 30 June 2024. 

Furthermore,  Article 53(1)  states  that  the  report  will  also  include  an  evaluation  of  the 
implementation and use of the registers under Chapter VII – i.e. the European Vehicle Register 
(EVR),  the  European  Register  of  Authorised  Vehicle  Types  (ERATV)  and  the  Register  of 
Infrastructure  (RINF)  –  and  an  analysis  of  the  cases  set  out  in  Article 7  (i.e.  cases  of  non-
application of technical specifications for interoperability (TSIs) involving individual projects).  

Lastly, it instructs the Commission to conduct an analysis of the application of Chapter V, i.e. 
decisions by the authorising entities, the Agency and/or national safety authorities (NSAs) on 
the placing on the market of rail vehicles and the placing in service of fixed rail installations 
and  on  approval  by  the  Agency  of  European  Rail  Traffic  Management  System  (ERTMS) 
trackside projects. In particular, the assessments focus on the functioning of the cooperation 
agreements concluded between the Agency and NSAs to facilitate joint decision-making. 

Details  about  the  Agency’s  activities  and  the  progress  achieved  on  rail  safety  and 
interoperability are covered by the reports on safety and interoperability, to be published by 
the Agency every two years under Article 35(4) of Regulation (EU) 2016/796 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the European Union Agency for Railways 
and repealing Regulation (EC) No 881/20042. 

This  report  seeks  to  avoid  duplication  with  the  evaluation  and  reporting  required  under 
Article 82  of  Regulation  (EU)  2016/796,  which  is  where  Commission  will  assess  the 
functioning of the Agency and the dual system under which the NSAs and the Agency deliver 
authorisations, certifications and approvals. 

The Member States transposed Directive (EU) 2016/797 in three phases. According to Article 
57(1) of the Directive, measures to comply with obligations referred to in that Article should 
have been adopted by 16 June 2019. However, Article 57(2) provided the Member States with 
a possibility, upon notification to the Commission and the Agency, to extend this deadline to 

1 OJ L 138 26.5.2016, p. 44., ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2016/797/ 

2 OJ L 138, 26.5.2016, p. 1., ELI: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/796/  

 
 
 
 
16 June 2020). As part of the emergency measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an 
additional  transposition  deadline  of  31 October 2020  was  introduced.  The  Commission 
checked  the  completeness  of  Member  States’  notifications  on  how  they  had  transposed 
Directive  (EU) 2016/797.  Based  on  the  results  of  the  completeness  checks,  13 non-
communication infringement proceedings were opened. After most Member States had notified 
additional legal texts, the Commission closed 12 out of 13 proceedings by May 2025.  

Conformity checks on the transposition of Directive (EU) 2016/797  were completed for six 
Member States, accompanied by EU-Pilot questionnaires, the replies to which the Commission 
is currently evaluating. Conformity checks on legislation in the remaining Member States is 
ongoing with a view to assessing compliance and the need to open EU-Pilot questionnaires or 
infringement proceedings. 

Through  other  work  streams,  by  the  end  of  the  transitional  period  (31 October 2020)  the 
Commission  had  carried  out  extensive  consultations  with  the  relevant  stakeholders  for  the 
purposes of this first report. 

1.  Removing national rules 

In  June  2024,  the Agency  calculated  that  there  were  still  796  national  rules  applicable  in 
Member  States  under Article  14  of  Directive  (EU)  2016/797,  i.e.  those  relevant  to  vehicle 
authorisation  and  fixed  installations  (formerly  referred  to  collectively  as  national  technical 
rules) in EU Member States, down from 13 459 in January 2016. Progress towards removing 
the national rules on vehicle authorisation since 2016 is shown in Figure 1, with futher details 
of progress  since 2020 shown in  Figure 2.  It should be noted that, the clean-up progress  of 
national  rules  is  still  in  its  infancy.  This  means  that  for  some  countries  the Agency  is  still 
assessing the first set of rules notified under Article 14(1)(a) of Directive (EU) 2016/797. 

National  safety  rules  –  those  considered  when  the Agency  issues  single  safety  certificates 
(SSCs) – are notified  to  the Commission  and the Agency  under Article 8  of Directive (EU) 
2016/7983 and therefore fall outside the scope of this report on interoperability.  

3   Directive (EU) 2016/798 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on railway safety, 

OJ L 138, 26.5.2016, p. 102, ELI: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2016/798/ 

 
 
 
 
 
Evolution of total number of national rules (vehicle 
authorisation) notified to the Agency

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Figure 1: Progress towards removing national rules on vehicle authorisation between 
January 2016 and June 2024 (EU-28 including the United Kingdom until the end of 2019; 
Source: ERA) 

Categorisation of remaining national rules by the Agency

NRs positively assessed

NRs for other EU legislation

NRs negatively assessed

NRs under review by ERA

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Figure 2: National rule clean-up for vehicle authorisation with remaining rules between 
January 2020 and June 2024, EU-27 (Source: ERA) 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.  2023 Revision of the TSIs 

At  present,  11  TSIs  have  been  adopted  and  revised  through  Commission  regulations  and 
Commission implementing regulations. These three functional and eight structural TSIs make 
up the technical regulatory framework for railway subsystems. Functional TSIs cover operation 
and  traffic  management  (OPE4),  telematics  (i.e.  computer/computerised)  applications  for 
passenger services (TAP5) and telematics applications for freight (TAF6). The structural TSIs 
cover infrastructure (INF7), energy (ENE8), safety in railway tunnels (SRT9), accessibility for 
persons  with  disabilities  and  persons  with  reduced  mobility  (PRM10),  locomotives  and 
passenger rolling stock (LOC&PAS11), freight wagons (WAG12), rolling stock noise (NOI13) 
and control-command and signalling (CCS14). 

Since  June  2016,  there  have  been  two  major  TSI  revision  cycles.  In  addition,  following 
extensive  stakeholder  consultations,  in  August  2024  the  Agency  was  asked  to  provide 

4   Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  2019/773  of  16 May 2019  on  the  technical  specification  for 
interoperability  relating  to  the  operation  and  traffic  management  subsystem  of  the  rail  system  within  the 
European  Union  and 
repealing  Decision  2012/757/EU,  OJ  L  139I  27.5.2019,  p.  5,  ELI: 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2019/773/ 

5   Commission Regulation (EU) No 454/2011 of 5 May 2011 on the technical specification for interoperability 
relating to the subsystem ‘telematics applications for passenger services’ of the trans-European rail system, 
OJ L 123 12.5.2011, p. 11, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/454/ 

6   Commission  Regulation  (EU)  No  1305/2014  of  11 December 2014  on  the  technical  specification  for 
interoperability relating to the telematics applications for freight subsystem of the rail system in the European 
Union  and  repealing  the  Regulation  (EC)  No  62/2006,  OJ  L  356  12.12.2014,  p.  438,  ELI: 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1305/  

7   Commission  Regulation  (EU)  No  1299/2014  of  18 November 2014  on  the  technical  specifications  for 
interoperability relating to the ‘infrastructure’ subsystem of the rail system in the European Union, OJ L 356 
12.12.2014, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1299/  

8   Commission  Regulation  (EU)  No  1301/2014  of  18 November 2014  on  the  technical  specifications  for 
interoperability relating to the ‘energy’ subsystem of the rail system in the Union, OJ L 356 12.12.2014, p. 
179, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1301/  

9   Commission Regulation (EU) No 1303/2014 of 18 November 2014 concerning the technical specification for 
interoperability relating to ‘safety in railway tunnels’ of the rail system of the European Union, OJ L 356 
12.12.2014, p. 394, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1303/  

10   Commission  Regulation  (EU)  No  1300/2014  of  18 November 2014  on  the  technical  specifications  for 
interoperability relating to accessibility of the Union’s rail system for persons with disabilities and persons 
with reduced mobility, OJ L 356 12.12.2014, p. 110, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1300/  

11   Commission Regulation (EU) No 1302/2014 of 18 November 2014 concerning a technical specification for 
interoperability relating to the ‘rolling stock – locomotives and passenger rolling stock’ subsystem of the rail 
system in the European Union, OJ L 356, 12.12.2014, p. 228, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1302/ 

12   Commission  Regulation  (EU)  No  321/2013  of  13 March 2013  concerning  the  technical  specification  for 
interoperability relating to the subsystem ‘rolling stock – freight wagons’ of the rail system in the European 
Union 
1,  ELI: 
2006/861/EC,  OJ  L 
repealing  Decision 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/321/ 

12.4.2013, 

104, 

and 

p. 

13   Commission  Regulation  (EU)  No  1304/2014  of  26 November 2014  on  the  technical  specification  for 
interoperability  relating  to  the  subsystem  ‘rolling  stock  –  noise’  amending  Decision  2008/232/EC  and 
repealing Decision 2011/229/EU, OJ L 356, 12.12.2014, p. 421, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1304/ 

14   Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1695 of 10 August 2023 on the technical specification for 
interoperability relating to the control-command and signalling subsystems of the rail system in the European 
Union 
(EU)  2016/919,  OJ  L  222,  8.9.2023,  p.  380,  ELI: 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2023/1695/ 

repealing  Regulation 

and 

 
 
 
recommendations on future TSI revisions (outlining a multiannual plan for the upcoming TSI 
revision cycles until 2030 to prepare TSIs for new technologies), close points that remain open 
where national rules remain applicable and or add areas inadequately covered in previous TSI 
versions. 

In 2019, all TSIs were revised15 to be brought into line with the fourth Railway Package. Only 
OPE TSI underwent a more in-depth revision. 

In 2023, eight  TSIs were revised  with  a view to  achieving higher  levels  of interoperability. 
Moreover, Commission Regulation on the CCS TSI was subject to the recast and Commission 
Regulations on the LOC&PAS, WAG, OPE, INF, ENE and PRM TSIs were amended. Figure 
3 summarises the specific cases and points that remain open after these revisions. 

Specific cases and open points

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Figure 3: Specific cases and open points per TSI as of 30 June 2024 

a.  LOC&PAS, WAG, NOI and CCS TSIs 

•  Unique authorisation for passenger coaches 

Provisions for passenger coaches similar to the existing Europe-wide single authorisation for 
freight wagons were also adopted in 2023. These set out TSI requirements under which the 
Agency can issue vehicle authorisations without having to cooperate with NSAs if there are no 
additional  national  rule  requirements 
to  be  assessed.  Requirements  on 
electromagnetic  compatibility  were  included  in  Commission  Regulation  on  the  LOC&PAS 
TSI. To further harmonise requirements for electromagnetic compatibility and further simplify 
the authorisation, Commission Regulation on the CCS TSI also mandates Member States to 
notify the Agency of specifications for all existing installed trackside train detection devices. 

that  need 

15   A  chronology 

table  for  all  TSIs  can  be  found  at  https://www.era.europa.eu/system/files/2022-
10/TSIs%20chronology%20table.pdf?t=1718972267.  It  includes  details  of  the  Commission  implementing 
regulations that updated one or multiple TSIs. 

 
 
 
 
•  Detecting and preventing freight wagon derailments 

In  Commission  Regulations  on  the  LOC&PAS  and  WAG  TSIs,  further  requirements  were 
added for functions detecting and preventing train derailments for vehicles equipped with such 
technology. This will help to increase rail safety by preventing or mitigating the consequences 
of a vehicle derailment. 

•  Noise  limits  and  assessment  of  composite  brake  blocks  at  the  level  of  the 

interoperability constituent 

The Commission Regulation on NOI TSI applies limits on noise from stationary, starting and 
pass-by modes of train operations and inside the driver’s cabin. The methodologies to assess 
the acoustic performance of composite brake blocks were also laid down in order to further 
reduce noise emissions, as set out in Directive 2002/49/EC16. 

•  Framework to manage CCS TSI specification changes (correcting errors, providing a 

single set of specifications, ensuring full delivery) 

To further advance harmonisation and interoperability via the European command control and 
signalling  system,  the  Commission  Regulation  on  CCS  TSI  introduced  specific  transitional 
arrangements for rectifying errors. The principle of providing a single set of specifications was 
introduced alongside version management, including adaptations to existing higher versions. 
Furthermore, the possibility of only partially fulfilling the CCS TSI was removed and replaced 
by specific transitional arrangements. 

•  CCS TSI enhancements (ATO, FRMCS and DAC readiness) and system versions 

To achieve further rail digitalisation, the existing specifications for automatic train operation 
(ATO)  as  well  as  interface  specifications  for  the  future  rail  mobile  communication  system 
(FRMCS) were added to the Commission Regulation on CCS TSI. Further requirements were 
also laid down with a view to compliance during the transition period in order to pave the way 
for faster integration of future available specifications (a full set of specifications for FRMCS, 
specifications for digital automatic coupling (DAC)). 

b.  OPE TSI 

•  Digitalisation of communication 

The  digital  means  of  communication  between  infrastructure  managers  (IMs)  and  railway 
undertakings (RUs), i.e. route compatibility checks, route books and rule books, were specified. 
The associated implementation deadlines were also determined in the Commission Regulation 
on TSI OPE. 

In  August  2024,  the  Agency  was  requested  to  further  specify  the  digital  means  for  other 
communications. In the meantime, the revision of the TAP and TAF TSIs planned for 2025 

16   Directive  2002/49/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  25 June 2002  relating  to  the 
assessment  and  management  of  environmental  noise,  OJ  L  189,  18.7.2002,  p.  12,  ELI: 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2002/49/oj  

 
 
 
 
will  also  spell  out  the  digital  means  for  communications  relating  to  capacity  management, 
traffic management and train preparation. 

•  European Train Control System (ETCS) operational rules, marker boards and European 

Instructions 

Further harmonisation took place of the operational rules linked to ETCS level 2 and ETCS 
level 3 radio-based operation without overlay of Class B and lineside signalling. The changes 
introduced new operational rules as well as others designed to complement the existing rules. 

Close  cooperation  was  established  with  the  relevant  standardisation  groups  on  harmonised 
marker boards (optimised existing ones and new additional ones). The additional harmonised 
marker boards were incorporated into the relevant operational rules of the OPE TSI, indicating 
where marker boards are not yet defined. 

An amendment to the European Instruction was introduced in response to the sector´s needs. 

c. 

INF and ENE TSIs 

• 

Infrastructure 

The scope of the fixed installation TSIs (in particular, ENE and INF) was widened. If upgrades 
are implemented for which there is a defined performance criterion, full compliance with these 
TSIs is now necessary within the geographical area of the upgrade scheme. This was not the 
case  under  the  previous  compliance  obligation,  which  was  only  partial.  The  measure  in 
question is designed to accelerate the railway infrastructure’s TSI compliance and help improve 
the  interoperability  of  rail  networks,  thus  avoiding  any  knock-on  constraints  for  train 
operations. 

Other  provisions  to  enable  the  charging  of  traction  batteries  and  on  the  use  of  multiple 
pantographs were introduced in the ENE TSI. 

d.  PRM TSI 

In 2023, the requirement for notified bodies to conduct on-site visits to inspect infrastructure 
subsystems was reinstated to ensure that the PRM TSI was correctly enforced. 

Changes  to  operational  rules  laid  down  in  Commission  Regulation  on  TSI  PRM  were  also 
introduced, e.g. if a service is only provided in a part of a train not accessible to wheelchair 
users, it must be provided to wheelchair users in the wheelchair space without any additional 
charge, unless it is impossible to deliver the service to that space. For rolling stock subsystems, 
the door-finding signal was introduced as an alternative to the door-opening signal outside the 
train.  Another  innovation  is  the  possibility  to  dispense  with  the  door-closing  signal  when 
alternatives (e.g. light curtains, sensitive edges) are in place to mitigate the risk of injury for 
passengers and train crew. 

A  definition  of  an  interoperable  wheelchair  transportable  by  train  was  also  added.  This 
describes the characteristics of a wheelchair that allows all features of rolling stock designed 
for wheelchair users to be fully utilised by the passenger. 

e.  Combined transport 

 
 
Various  TSIs  were  amended  in  relation  to  combined  transport17.  These  changes,  which 
facilitate the codification of lines (INF TSI) under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 
2019/77718, wagons and intermodal loading units (ILUs), establish common harmonised rules 
for the operation of combined transport. 

The Commission Regulation on WAG TSI contains a general requirement relating to devices 
for securing ILUs, to ensure that these are properly secured during transport to prevent loss or 
damage. 

The Commission Regulation on OPE TSI incorporated rules on route compatibility checks and 
related operational rules in order to ensure that combined transport operations pass off safely 
and efficiently. 

Overall, the changes aim to facilitate combined transport by providing transparent rules and 
requirements for the codification of lines, wagons and ILUs as well as for operating combined 
transport. This will help to improve the operational efficiency and safety of combined transport 
and reduce the administrative load on operators. 

3. 

Implementing the functions of the TAP and TAF TSIs 

Implementation of rail telematics applications is key to achieving paperless rail transport. 

The  revision  of  the  TAF  and  TAP  TSIs  is  due  to  be  finalised  in  2025.  This  will  ensure 
consistency between common aspects for both freight services and passenger services under a 
single regulation on Telematics TSI, which will support data sharing for: 

(1) capacity and traffic management as well as train preparation; 
(2) management of freight wagons and their shipment; 
(3) rail ticketing and passenger information. 

Another aim is to strengthen the Agency’s role as the authority for telematics systems and to 
enable  enforcement  of  the  future  regulation  on TSI Telematics  by  applying  implementation 
deadlines  along  with  a  monitoring  and  compliance  assessment  framework  overseen  by  the 
Agency. 

Pending the introduction of legally binding implementation deadlines, the master plans provide 
the basis for implementing telematics functions at sector level. Issued in 2013, the TAP TSI19 
and TAF TSI20 master plans state that implementation was to be finalised by 2020 for point (3) 
above and by 2021 for points (1) and (2). 

17   Council Directive 92/106/EEC of 7 December 1992 on the establishment of common rules for certain types 
of  combined  transport  of  goods  between  Member  States,  OJ  L  368,  17.12.1992,  p.  38,  ELI:  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1992/106/  

18   Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/777 of 16 May 2019 on the common specifications for the 
register of railway infrastructure and repealing Implementing Decision 2014/880/EU, OJ L 139I, 27.5.2019, 
p. 312, ELI: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2019/777/  

19   https://www.era.europa.eu/system/files/2022-11/tap_master_plan_delivery_en_0.pdf  

20   https://www.era.europa.eu/system/files/2022-11/taf_tsi_master_plan_en_0.pdf  

 
 
 
 
Article 23 of Regulation (EU) 2016/796 requires the Agency to help the Commission monitor 
deployment of the specifications for telematics applications. Accordingly, the Agency compiles 
and  publishes  an  annual  progress  report  on  implementation  of  the  functions  set  out  in  the 
Commission  Regulations  on  the TAP  and TAF TSIs.  For  this  report,  the  monitoring  of  the 
implementation of key functions relating to capacity and traffic management is highlighted in 
Table  1.  Implementation  figures  are  reproduced  for  infrastructure  managers  (IMs),  freight 
railway undertakings (F-RUs) and passenger railway undertakings (P-RUs) from the Agency’s 
2023 status reports21 on the implementation of the TAF and TAP TSIs. 

According to the applicable TAF/TAP TSI master plans, the target implementation milestones 
for functions supporting capacity management were 2017 for IMs and F-RUs and 2018 for P-
RUs. 

Table 1: Implementation of key functions relating to capacity and traffic management 

Legend applicable to all maps displaying the status of implementation per country: (i) green 
– implemented, (ii) dark green – implementation planned for 2024 or 2025, (iii) yellow – 
implementation planned for 2026 or later, (iv) red – no or inconsistent information. For 
countried with data from more than one IM, figures describe the IM with the longest network. 

Implementation status 

Implementation forecast for IMs 

Capacity management 

Path request 
(PR) 

IM:     43% implemented 
RU-F: 35% implemented 
RU-P: 41% implemented 

Path details 
(PD) 

IM:     51% implemented 
RU-F: 43% implemented 
RU-P: 47% implemented 

21   2023 

Agency’s 

status 

reports 

on 

the 

implementation 

of 

TAF/TAP 

TSIs: 

https://www.era.europa.eu/system/files/2024-11/agency_s%202023%20report%20era-rep-114-impl-
2023%20on%20taf%20tsi%20implementation%20-%20di.pdf 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Implementation status 

Implementation forecast 

Traffic management 

Train running 
information 
(TRI) 

IM:     61% implemented 
RU-F: 51% implemented 
RU-P: 56% implemented 

Train forecast 
information 
(TRF) 

IM:     49% implemented 
RU-F: 38% implemented 
RU-P: 40% implemented 

Train 
composition 
(TCM) 

IM:     53% implemented 
RU-F: 48% implemented 
RU-P: 48% implemented 

Although  systemic  delays  affected  implementation,  it  should  be  emphasised  that  the 
commitments of IMs, as collected in the 2022 Agency survey, highlight the fact that most of 
the  functions  supporting  capacity  management  and  traffic  management  were  due  to  be 
implemented and completed during 2024 and 2025, i.e. in time for the 2026 timetable period. 

4. 

Implementation of registers (EVR, ERATV, RINF) 

a.  EVR 

To ensure that rail vehicles operated in the Single European Railway Area can be traced and 
their  history  plotted,  Article 47  of  Directive  (EU)  2016/797  introduced  dedicated  vehicle 
registers. The  Directive  requires  each  Member  State  to  keep  a  national  vehicle  register  and 
make it accessible to relevant stakeholders, including the Agency. Commission Implementing 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Decision (EU) 2018/161422 lays down specifications for a European Vehicle Register (EVR) 
to replace the European Centralised Virtual Vehicle Register (ECVVR). This means that instead 
of decentralised national vehicle registers made accessible through a common, Agency-based 
search and translation engine, the vehicle registration data will now be hosted centrally by the 
Agency.  This  solution  offers  several  advantages  as  it  reduces  technical  complexity  and 
administrative loads. At the same time, it increases data availability and quality by removing 
duplicate entries. 

EVR became fully operational in November 2021. By 25 June 2024, 1723 out of the 25 Member 
States concerned plus Norway had migrated from ECVVR over to the centrally administered 
EVR system. France uses EVR, but its data are not stored centrally. With this in mind, to ensure 
business continuity ECVVR will remain in regular use until data migration has been completed. 
In  total,  over  1.2  million  vehicles  (including  valid,  suspended  and  withdrawn  vehicles)  are 
recorded in ECVVR/EVR. 

Table 2  provides  an  overview  of  the  vehicles  with  a  valid/active  status  recorded  in 
ECVVR/EVR  by  vehicle  type  (data  extracted  in  June  2024).  Vehicles  included  in 
ECVVR/EVR are expected to account for 80% or more of vehicles. 

Table 2: Vehicles with a valid registration recorded in ECVVR/EVR (June 2024) 

Category of vehicles 

Tractive vehicles - Diesel locomotive 
Tractive vehicles - Diesel shunting engine 
Tractive vehicles - Electric locomotive 
Tractive vehicles - Electric shunting engine 
Tractive vehicles - Diesel multiple-unit set 
Tractive vehicles - Electric multiple-unit set (except high speed) 
Tractive vehicles - Electric multiple-unit set (high speed) 
Tractive vehicles - Miscellaneous 
Tractive vehicles - Special vehicle 
Tractive vehicles - Specialised trailer 
Wagon 
Hauled passenger vehicles - Vehicles for domestic traffic 
Hauled passenger vehicles - Air-conditioned and pressure-tight 
vehicles 
Hauled passenger vehicles - Service vehicles 

Number of 
vehicles 
(valid 
registration) 
11 287 
6 108 
14 623 
602 
17 285 
58 982 
13 487 
6 895 
18 316 
2 540 
637 260 
30 855 
4 834 

10 371 

22   Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1614 of 25 October 2018 laying down specifications for the 
vehicle registers referred to in Article 47 of Directive (EU) 2016/797 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council and amending and repealing Commission Decision 2007/756/EC, OJ L 268, 26.10.2018, p. 53, ELI: 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2018/1614/  

23   Belgium,  Bulgaria,  Czechia,  Greece,  Italy,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  Austria,  Poland, 

Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden  

 
 
 
 
 
 
Grand total 
Source: ECVVR/EVR 

833 445 

As with other Agency registers, data reliability depends on the extent to which the information 
provided  is  accurate,  complete  and  up  to  date.  This  is  particularly  important  when 
linking/matching information from several registers. 

b.  ERATV 

Under Article 48 of Directive (EU) 2016/797, the ERATV register24 contains data on authorised 
vehicle types. Its common technical specifications are set out in  Commission Implementing 
Decision  2011/665/EU25  on  the  European  register  of  authorised  types  of  railway  vehicles. 
Hosted by the Agency, ERATV has been in operation since January 2013. ERATV data become 
publicly  available  once  they  have  been  submitted  by  the  authorising  entity  (NSAs  or  the 
Agency). 

ERATV is intended for use in combination with other registers and databases, in particular with 
EVR  (Section 4.a  of  this  report)  and  RINF  (Section  4.c  of  this  report).  When  a  vehicle  is 
recorded in a vehicle register, identification in ERATV (Type ID) of the authorised vehicle type 
(or version or variant) with which it complies, must be indicated when available. This Type ID 
makes a vehicle’s technical characteristics retrievable from ERATV.  

ERATV contains over 6 000 type authorisations. As with other Agency registers, data reliability 
depends  on  the  extent  to  which  the  information  provided  is  up  to  date  and  complete.  The 
Agency is not responsible or liable for information submitted and published in ERATV. Data 
quality is expected to be high as the details provided are checked during vehicle authorisation 
processes. 

c.  Register of Infrastructure (RINF) 

RINF’s main purpose is to make the characteristics of the EU railway infrastructure network 
available in the form of a reference database. As such, RINF is the main IT tool for describing 
the railway networks’ characteristics and capabilities across Europe. It is set out in Article 49 
of  Directive  (EU)  2016/797  and  regulated  by  Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU) 
2019/77726.  The  computerised  common  user  interface,  or  CUI,  behind  this  register,  which 
simplifies infrastructure data queries, has been publicly available since March 201527. 

24   https://eratv.era.europa.eu/eratv  

25   Commission  Implementing  Decision  of  4 October 2011  on  the  European  register  of  authorised  types  of 

railway vehicles, OJ L 264, 8.10.2011, p. 32, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2011/665/  

26   Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/777 of 16 May 2019 on the common specifications for the 
register of railway infrastructure and repealing Implementing Decision 2014/880/EU, OJ L 139I, 27.5.2019, 
p. 312, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2019/777/ 

27   https://data-interop.era.europa.eu  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
By  early 2024,  at  least  one technical  parameter for around  92% of Member State28  railway 
networks had been entered in the database. Since 1 January 2021, certain parameters have been 
mandatory for sections  of lines (SoLs) and operational  points (OPs);  respectively, these are 
now 78% and 83% complete. 

As with other databases, usefulness is based on the completeness of the data contained in the 
database. 

RINF data reliability depends on the accuracy of inputs under the responsibility of the IMs. 
This accuracy was found to be variable. Accuracy is crucial for the database to be effective 
(return  on  investment)  and  for  RUs  to  fulfil  their  obligations,  e.g.  for  vehicle-route 
compatibility checks and route book aggregations. 

5.  Cases of TSI non-application 

Between  16 June 2016  and  30 June 2024,  the  Commission  received  273  requests  for  non-
application  of  TSI  provisions  from  EU  Member  States29  and  Norway.  Figure 1  shows  the 
annual distribution of these cases. In the seven (full calendar) years preceding the adoption of 
Directive (EU) 2016/797, i.e. between 2009 and 2015, 102 requests for non-application were 
submitted. In the seven (full calendar) years since adoption, this number more than doubled, 
with 228 requests for non-application submitted between 2017 and 2023. In the same period, 
the number of requests citing advanced stage of development (ASD) to justify them also more 
than doubled (80 to 169), while requests justified on the basis of economic viability quadrupled 
(12 to 51 – see Figure 4). Furthermore, there was a sixfold increase in the number of requests 
relating  to  TSI  CCS  (25  to  163)  over  the  same  period  (Figure  5).  These  increases  led  to  a 
considerable  increase  in  the  workload  of  the  Commission  services  and  the  Agency  as 
regardsprocessing  applications  and  requests  citing  economic  viability  in  relation  to 
Commission implementing decisions. 

Since the adoption of Directive (EU) 2016/797, the majority of cases have concerned the non-
application of components of the CCS TSI (Figure 6). Increases in the total number of cases, 
CCS-related requests and requests on the grounds of ASD (Figure 7) all peaked in 2017, 2019 
and 2024. This coincides ,with the adoption of the fourth Railway Package in 2016 and major 
packages on TSIs in 2019 and 2023. Requests for non-application vary between Member States 
(Figure 8), which is only in part because of the varying sizes of the national railway networks. 

28   EU-27 minus Ireland, European Union Agency for Railways, Report on railway safety and interoperability 
in the EU 2024, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2821/64343  

29   Including the United Kingdom until 2021. Figures display numbers for the whole of 2016; three of these 16 

requests for non-application were received before the entry into force of the fourth Railway Package. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Non-application requests per year

60

50

40

30

20

10

29

19

16

14

11

12

9

8

5

57

41

32

34

32

26

19

19

0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

Figure  4:  Non-application  requests  per  year  (2016-2024,  where  2024  includes  requests 
submitted up until 30 June) 

Non-application requests 2017-2023 compared to 2009-2015, 
by justification

169

80

250

200

150

100

50

0

228

102

51

12

10

8

7(1)(a) - Advanced stage of
development (ASD)

7(1)(c) - Economic vialbility
(EV)

Other

TOTAL

2009-2015

2017-2023

Figure 5: Non-application requests 2017-2023 compared to 2009-2015, by justification 

 
 
 
 
180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Non-application requests 2017-2023 compared to 2009-2015, 
by TSI

163

25

28

15

37

19

35

24

32

22

15

10

0

0

CCS

LOC & PAS

ENER

INF

PRM

TAF TAP

NOI

2009-2015

2017-2023

32

26

SRT

6

0

WAG

Figure 6: Non-application requests 2017-2023 compared to 2009-2015, by TSI 

Evolution of the number of on-application requests 2016-
2024, by justification

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

51

37

27

11

1
4
2016

6
0
2017

5
0
2018

4
0
2019

22

9
3

7

9
3

11

7
1

14

11

1

2020

2021

2022

2023

27

1
4
2024

7(1)(a) - Advanced stage of development (ASD)

7(1)(c) - Economic vialbility (EV)

Other

Figure 7: Non-application requests by TSI and year (2016-2024, where 2024 includes requests 
submitted up until 30 June) 

 
 
 
 
 
Number of requests for non-applications by MS (2017-2024)

49

40

24

13

7

4

3

1

2

1

1

30

16

6

4

9

9

9

6

6

4

2

1

3

2

0

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

AT BE BG CZ DE DK EE EL ES

FI

FR HR HU IE

IT LT LU LV NL PL PT RO SE SI

SK NO

Figure 8: Non-application requests per EU-27 Member State and Norway (2017-2024, where 
2024 includes requests submitted up until 30 June). 

6.  European  Union  for  Railways  (ERA)  decisions:  authorisations  to  place  on  the 

market vehicle types and vehicles, ERTMS trackside approvals 

When  the  fourth  Railway  Package  came  into  force,  the  Agency  became  responsible  for 
authorising the placing on the market of railway vehicles. This chiefly involves locomotives, 
passenger coaches and wagons. For locomotives and passenger trains, applicants must apply 
to the Agency for authorisation if the area of use covers more than one Member State. If the 
vehicle’s area of use is confined to a single Member State, applicants may chose to apply either 
to the Agency or to the respective national railway authority. 

By  30 June  2024,  the  Agency  had  received  7 825  applications  for  vehicle  authorisations, 
including  872  applications  for  type  authorisations  and  6 953  applications  for  authorisations 
involving conformity to type (Table 3). These numbers include 198 pre-engagement requests 
(11  for  authorisations  involving  conformity  to  type  and  187  for  type  authorisations).  For 
vehicles used inin only one Member State, most applicants still decide to apply to the national 
authority for authorisation, but some applicants simply use the Agency, thus fully benefiting 
from a single contact point for all authorisations, irrespective of the area of use. 

 
 
 
 
Table 3: Number of applications for vehicle authorisations processed by the ERA and NSAs 
between June 2019 and June 2024 (Source: One-Stop Shop) 

ERA 

NSA 

No of 
authorisation 
applications 

No of pre-
engagement 
requests 

No of 
authorisation 
applications 

No of pre-
engagement 
requests 

Authorisation 
involving conformity 
to type 

Type authorisations 

Total 

6 942 

11 

4 383 

685 

7 627 

7 825 

187 

198 

1 174 

5 557 

5 805 

13 

235 

248 

7.  NSA  decisions:  authorisation  to  place  in  service  fixed  installations,  including 

ERTMS trackside 

The  NSAs  are  responsible  for  authorising  the  placing  in  service  of  fixed  installations 
(infrastructure, energy and trackside control-command and signalling subsystems). However, 
before any call for tenders involving ERTMS trackside equipment, the Agency checks whether 
the  technical  solutions  under  consideration  are  fully  compliant  with  the  relevant  TSIs  and 
therefore fully interoperable as part of the ERTMS trackside approval process. 

In June 2024, there were 125 ongoing applications. Since 2019, 19 approvals have been issued. 
65% of applications relate to ETCS and 26% to Global System for Mobile Communications – 
Railway (GSM-R) equipment, with the remaining 9% relating to full ERTMS applications, i.e. 
both ETCS and GSM-R. 

Given the differing ways in which Directive (EU) 2016/797 has been transposed, including the 
relevant  Article 18,  and  subsequent  diverging  approaches  by  the  Member  States  to  the 
authorisation  process  for  placing  in  service,  the  Commission  and  the  Agency  are  currently 
examining if there is a need to issue additional guidance for a more harmonised approach. 

8.  Cooperation agreements concluded between the Agency and NSAs  

Cooperation agreements are agreements between the Agency and the NSAs. They support the 
timely  and  comprehensive  delivery  of  complex  Agency  decisions  covering  compliance 
assessments both with European and national rules on safety and interoperability. There are 
two types of cooperation agreement: 

•  mandatory cooperation agreements with the NSAs; 
•  voluntary cooperation agreements (known as pool of experts (‘PoE’) agreements). 

The  mandatory  agreements  are  based  on  Article 76  of  Regulation  (EU)  2016/796.  They 
regulate how tasks  are shared  between the Agency and the NSAs for the delivery of  single 
safety certificates (SSCs) and vehicle authorisations (VAs). These include detailed provisions 

 
 
 
 
 
 
on how the national authorities cooperate daily with the Agency on decisions to issue VAs and 
SSCs. 

In addition, the voluntary PoE cooperation agreements provide the legal platform for sharing 
expertise and assigning experts to the NSAs or the Agency in order to assess specific SSC or 
VA applications. 

The Agency has signed mandatory cooperation agreements with all 25 NSAs in the EU plus 
Norway’s NSA. It also concluded an agreement with the NSA in Northern Ireland on VAs as 
part of the EU’s remit under the EU-UK withdrawal agreement. Additionally, the Agency has 
signed voluntary cooperation agreements with 18 NSAs from the EU30 as well as agreements 
with Switzerland and Norway. 

9.  Conclusion 

Substantial  progress  has  been  made  towards  greater  European  rail  interoperability  since 
Directive (EU) 2016/797 was adopted in May 2016, as demonstrated by the 2019 and 2023 TSI 
revisions,  ERA’s  management  of  common  European  rail  registers  and  the  cooperation 
agreements  concluded  between  the Agency  and  the  NSAs.  Barriers  remain,  however.  For 
example,  the  increase  in  the  number  of  requests  for  non-application  of  TSI  provisions, 
particularly  on  ERTMS,  points  to  difficulties  with  fully  implementing  the  CCS  TSI.  The 
registers  suffer  in  practice  from  low  levels  of  digitalisation.  The  differences  in  terms  of 
transposing Directive (EU) 2016/797 and the remaining independent responsibilities of NSAs 
while  performing  their  EU  rail  network  authorisation  tasks,  continue  to  show  national 
variations  where  greater  harmonisation  would  be  needed  to  create  network  efficiencies  and 
lower operating costs for the benefit of European rail users and industries. 

30   Belgium,  Denmark,  Germany,  Estonia,  Ireland,  Greece,  Spain,  France,  Latvia,  Luxembourg,  Hungary, 

Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden