Arcadis has been appointed by ProRail, the Dutch Railway Agency responsible for the care and maintenance of the national railway network, to provide engineering services to support the roll out of two of the three major new European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) corridors across the Netherlands. ERTMS represents the next step in digitalization of railway safety. It is used to improve, standardize and enhance the safety of European Railways.

As part of a seven year contract with ProRail, Arcadis will be responsible for the complete process of implementing ERTMS across some of the most intensively used lines in the Dutch railway network. Services provided include engineering, safety management, managing site integration activities, as well as drafting, testing and commissioning of ERTMS. Arcadis will be the first engineering firm in the Netherlands to implement ERTMS through ‘open engineering' on the Early Deployment Line (EDL). Digital modernization of the network will significantly increase capacity and support interoperability across international border crossings.

By 2050, European railways must be equipped with ERTMS to comply with internationally standardized safety systems. However, in the Netherlands ProRail is working to significantly accelerate this timetable, with the target of having ERTMS in place across the entire network by 2040.