The European railway industry association UNIFE reports that around €3 billion is earmarked for a special railway research programme in the upcoming budget of the European Union (EU). The programme is to be established in the next EU research framework programme (FP10) as a successor to Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking (ERJU). The focus is on the development of new technologies that build on existing innovative solutions. These include the European Train Control System ERTMS/ETCS, the communication system Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) and the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC). UNIFE is planning to demand and propose a corresponding plan before these technologies are started.
