Deadline Date: February 11, 2026
The Coordinated Actions for FRMCS Deployment initiative aims to ensure the smooth, synchronized, and efficient transition of the European railway telecommunications system from GSM-R to the advanced 5G-based FRMCS through comprehensive coordination, stakeholder engagement, and technical support across Member States.
The focus areas of this initiative include Programme Management Office (PMO) Functions to set up and operate a central coordination function to oversee timelines, dependencies, and progress across planning of FRMCS future deployment activities; Capacity Mapping & Planning Analysis to develop and distribute sector-wide surveys to gather data on deployment plans, readiness, and capacity, and to analyse responses and identify gaps and challenges across Member States and cross-border situations; Independent Cost and Time Driver Study to assess cost structures and investment drivers relevant to FRMCS implementation across different operational contexts and to conduct relevant cost business analyses to optimise rollout timelines; Stakeholder Management to facilitate cooperation among rail and telecom stakeholders, as well as with relevant associations; Communication & Dissemination to support targeted communications for the FRMCS Deployment Group and organise outreach and engagement to raise awareness and share developments; Deployment Guidelines Toolbox to support the development of a non-binding set of practical guidelines and migration scenarios to aid railway undertakings and infrastructure managers in their transition to FRMCS; Expertise & Technical Support to provide subject-matter expertise on key domains including system authorisation, cybersecurity, and RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety); European Deployment Dashboard to support the establishment and maintenance of an online dashboard to report on deployment readiness and progress and track national initiatives; Knowledge Sharing and Acceleration to gather and share test results, best practices, and lessons learned and promote early implementation and innovation in FRMCS assets; Risk & Deviation Management to support frameworks for identifying, reporting, and mitigating risks and deviations across the deployment chain; and Develop Market Readiness to identify measures required for ensuring a swift FRMCS deployment within the short migration timeframe from GSM-R to FRMCS.
The total indicative budget for this topic is EUR 0.7 million, with an indicative project duration of 24 months, though proposals with different durations may also be considered. The initiative builds upon the efforts of EU-RAIL, which has established a High-Level Deployment Group and a dedicated FRMCS Deployment Subgroup to steer future deployment activities. This framework aims to draw from existing sector plans, EU-Rail test initiatives, and demonstrator programmes to guide large-scale implementation.
The transition is critical, as the current GSM-R system, based on outdated 2G technology, will soon become obsolete with manufacturers phasing out networks, components, and support by 2030. The new FRMCS system is mission-critical for safe railway operations and will retain existing functionalities while adding advanced capabilities for future applications. EU-RAIL’s flagship project FP2-MORANE2 is currently validating FRMCS specifications through extensive lab and field testing to ensure operational readiness.
For more information, visit European Commission.
