A major technological upgrade to the railway line serving Monaco could significantly increase the frequency of regional trains in the coming years…
The deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), currently being rolled out along the Mediterranean corridor, is expected to allow TER trains to run every ten minutes through Monaco station by the end of 2028.
Officials recently visited Monaco station to review the progress of the project, which forms part of the wider High Performance Marseille–Ventimiglia (HPMV) programme designed to improve capacity and reliability on one of the busiest regional rail corridors in southern France. Work to install the new system within the Principality is scheduled to begin in April.
As reported by Monaco Matin, ERTMS is a fully digital signalling technology that continuously transmits a train’s position to a control centre in Marseille. Using radio communication, track sensors and onboard equipment, the system allows operators to monitor trains in real time and provide precise driving instructions.
This digital approach will enable trains to run safely closer together than under the current signalling system, which relies on fixed signals spaced several kilometres apart. While trains could technically operate just minutes apart, the immediate goal is to achieve a service every ten minutes on the Nice–Ventimiglia line.
Around 1.5 kilometres of track within Monaco will be equipped with the technology before the system enters service in December 2028.
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