The Netherlands has opened applications for ERTMS subsidies. Rolling stock owners can submit their requests until 31 July. The subsidies will cover a maximum of 50% of the total implementation cost, but that is unlikely to happen with costs having skyrocketed.
Subsidies are available for both retrofitting and the development of prototypes for locomotives that do not yet have one. For retrofitting when a prototype is already available, a maximum of 200,000 euros is available per locomotive.
For the development of a prototype, rolling stock owners can request up to two million euros, on the condition that the prototype will be representative for at least 20 locomotives that are active in the Netherlands. In total, the country allocated a maximum of 4 million euros for prototype development.
Cost explosion
The remaining 37 million euros is for retrofitting, amounting to a total of 41 million euros. The subsidies cover a maximum of 50% of the total cost. An important condition for receiving subsidies is that the locomotive needs to drive in the Netherlands at least ten days per year for the first three years after retrofitting.
With a maximum contribution of 200,000 euros, it seems unlikely that the subsidies will come even close to covering half of the retrofitting costs per locomotive. Those expenses have grown from 450,000 to 900,000 euros per vehicle between 2018 and 2022, according to a study by EY Consulting and INECO.