Increased costs for ERTMS onboard equipment

As part of the assignment, PA Consulting has produced a report on the costs of the onboard system, which was shared with, among others, Tågföretagen earlier this week.

PA Consulting has done a commendable job in creating a realistic cost picture, with significant help from vehicle owners, resulting in consolidated data for approximately 990 vehicles, including around 50 different prototype vehicles. One key finding was that the costs for onboard systems have increased significantly between 2014 and 2025, and that prototype costs vary greatly and are burdensome, especially for small vehicle owners with short production series.

PA Consulting has also examined the consequences of the upcoming upgrade to Baseline 4 and the new radio system FRMCS. The full report will be made public once the investigation has been submitted to the government. ERTMS onboard equipment is a prerequisite for Trafikverket to renew the signalling system across the entire railway network, which is vital for a functioning rail traffic system.

The railway also requires work to address the backlog in maintenance and capacity, which is highlighted in the highly recommended report “Industry – Our Best Defence”, where the role of railways is emphasised as being central to the survival of Swedish industry – a point also raised by the Omtag Svensk Järnväg initiative.

Another issue that weakens the competitiveness of industry is the track access charges, which have increased sharply, 600 percent over 15 years and about 40 percent since the beginning of the year.

This week, Swedish Radio reported on the consequences for industry if no action is taken, which would mean freight has to be transferred to lorries. Lorries cannot handle the volume and weight required to transport heavy goods as efficiently as trains. This means more trucks on already congested roads, which also affects Sweden’s ability to meet its climate goals which is already in a precarious state. Trafikverket itself has concluded that this increase would be economically inefficient, as air pollution, noise, and accidents will rise more on roads than they will decrease on railways. Environmental compensation exists to reduce the cost disadvantage of rail compared to heavy goods vehicles traffic, and it is becoming increasingly clear that the distorted market conditions need to be adjusted when track access charges are at record-high levels.

This week also marked the long-awaited inauguration of the train technician education programme in Kristinehamn. This is a national recruitment programme in upper secondary education developed in collaboration between the municipality, industry, and the Railway College. There is a shortage of train technicians in the sector, and many people need to be trained and recruited with the necessary skills. The new programme is therefore very welcome and serves as an important complement to the country’s other train technology education programmes.

Read the Dagens Infrastruktur article in Swedish.