DB InfraGO to equip twelve lines with ETCS without signals by end of 2031

Announced on 2 July 2026: DB InfraGO plans to fit twelve lines totalling 750 km with ETCS Level 2 without lineside signals by the end of 2031, replacing the PZB and LZB train protection systems there; afterwards only trains with the necessary on-board equipment will be able to use these lines. Seven lines are scheduled for the end of 2029 or 2030 (including Lüneburg–Dannenberg, Hamburg Hammerbrook–Neugraben, Leipzig–Bamberg, Schöna–Bad Schandau Ost and Uelzen–Stendal–Magdeburg) and five more by the end of 2031 (Munich–Rosenheim, Kohlscheid–Rheydt, Leipzig–Engelsdorf–Riesa, Bad Schandau Ost–Pirna and the Stuttgart digital node, stage 3, whose date may slip). Because the lead time is under five years, DB InfraGO will obtain the consent of the affected rail operators individually for the seven earlier lines; it wants to present a migration strategy reaching into the 2030s by the end of the year, and a federal funding guideline for equipping vehicles is being prepared. The background is the TEN regulation, which provides for ERTMS on the core network by 2030 and the switch-off of national legacy systems by 2040. (LOK Report, 2 Jul 2026)