The European Commission has avoided on Wednesday anticipating conclusions about the causes of the Urda train accident, in Toledo, and has defended the need to speed up the deployment of the European signaling system ERTMS to strengthen the safety of the Community rail network. The Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, has confirmed that the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA, for its English-language acronym) will provide technical assistance to the investigation opened by Spanish authorities, at the request of the latter.
"It is too early to draw conclusions about the causes of this accident. The independent investigation will establish the facts," Tzitzikostas said during the presentation of the European strategy for sustainable transport. The commissioner has insisted that the investigation will remain "under the authority and direction of the Spanish investigators," despite the technical support that the Community agency will offer.
The European official has conveyed his condolences to the victims, their families, and all the people affected by the incident. "My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and their friends," he said, before stressing that safety is a non-negotiable priority for the Community Executive. "For all modes of transport, safety will always be my number one priority. For us, in the Commission, safety is non-negotiable."
The European Railway Agency will assist Spain
Tzitzikostas’s intervention comes after the Spanish authority in charge of the investigation requested this same Wednesday the collaboration of the European Railway Agency. The Community body will make available to the Spanish investigators the technical assistance that proves necessary, although it will not assume direction of the inquiries nor replace the national authorities.
The commissioner has explained that Brussels maintains contact with Spain and is prepared to provide support during the process. However, he has avoided commenting on the possible causes of the accident or establishing any link between the incident and the condition of the infrastructures, signaling systems, or rail operations. The Commission’s caution comes after the Urda accident has again placed rail safety at the center of the European debate. Asked about the succession of serious accidents recorded in Spain and about the impact these episodes may have on citizens’ trust in rail, Tzitzikostas acknowledged his concern.
"Two serious accidents in a year is not something we want to see, especially when these accidents cause tragedies and loss of human lives," he pointed out. The commissioner, however, has avoided establishing a link between the two incidents and has reiterated that it is up to the investigations to determine what happened in each case.
ERTMS, one of Brussels’ priorities
Beyond the Urda investigation, Tzitzikostas took advantage of the presentation of the sustainable transport strategy to call for accelerating the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). This is one of the main Community tools for moving toward an interoperable rail network, with common signaling and traffic control standards. The commissioner argued that its rollout across the entire European network is a necessary condition to raise safety levels and facilitate the development of high-speed rail transport. "If we want to increase the safety of the European rail network, we have to deploy the ERTMS system as soon as possible on all our lines," he said.
The system makes it possible to progressively replace the different national signaling and control mechanisms with a common technology, with the aim of improving interoperability between the networks of the member states. Its deployment is also one of the central elements of European policy to promote rail as an alternative to road transport and reduce emissions from the sector. Tzitzikostas has argued that the Commission will continue to monitor the application of European rail safety rules in the member states. The Community Executive wants to strengthen the role of the European Union Agency for Railways in this area and expand its capacity to intervene in matters related to safety.
The strategy presented this Wednesday is part of Brussels’ effort to make rail a central infrastructure for European mobility. However, the Urda accident once again brings to the table the gap between the Community objectives of modernization and interoperability and the need to guarantee effective safety in rail operations.