FRMCS or the Future Railway Mobile Communication System

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The Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS-5G) is the European railway communication system that will replace GSM-R (2G) by 2035. It will be interoperable and will boost network performance. SNCF Réseau is taking part in prototype projects involving several European countries.

ERTMS, ETCS, GSM-R, FRMCS... it’s hard to make sense of all these acronyms! And yet all these systems have something in common: they are helping to modernise the network and ensure the safe interoperability of traffic on the rail network.

Currently being rolled out in France and Europe, the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is made up of two components:

  • Signalling, to ensure train protection with the European Train Control System (ETCS);
  • Communication via the Global System for Mobile communications - Railways (GSM-R).

FRMCS is still at the prototype stage and will replace, at European level, GSM-R, which has been in service for more than 20 years.

Modernisation, economy and performance

Train drivers use radio to keep in touch with rail traffic regulators and to send/receive radio alerts when necessary. It is also used to transmit digital information between the driver’s cab and the equipment on the ground, in particular for ERTMS. Today, this radio operates using GSM-R (2G) technology. Tomorrow, FRMCS is set to take over from GSM-R.

In addition to interoperability, FRMCS will help to improve the performance, regularity and robustness of the network. This rail communications system will enable larger volumes of data to be transmitted, received and used than is possible with GSM-R technology. “This is an essential step if we are to add new rail-related functionalities, such as Automated Train Operation (ATO) in dense areas,  for example. FRMCS will be the backbone of ERTMS,” explains Éric Giraud-Desjuzeur, director of the FRMCS programme at the Directorate-General for Operations and Production.

Standardised and secure 5G

FRMCS will be based on 5G. “This 5G will be identical to the one we use every day. In some cases, therefore, we will be able to use operator networks instead of building very expensive infrastructure. The only difference is that we have added a layer of security, as is already the case in the army and the police,” says Stéphane Guillemaut, head of the Systems and Innovation section at the Unified Telecoms Division. What’s more, “the big novelty of FRMCS is the decoupling of radiocommunications and railway applications,” he adds. Thanks to this dissociation, business applications will not need to be reworked every time there is a hardware change in telecoms technology (6G, etc.).

Gradual deployment up to 2035

The first version of the FRMCS Technical Specifications for Interoperability, produced by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), was published in 2023, with a second version expected in 2027. The deployment of experimental lines is scheduled to start in 2025. “As part of the pre-project studies, we are planning tests on a high-speed line in France, a test track in Germany and on conventional lines in Europe. We are also taking part, with manufacturers and several European infrastructure managers, in other Research & Development projects such as 5G-RAIL,” Éric Giraud-Desjuzeur points out.

The migration phase to FRMCS at national level will take place between 2028 and 2035, with gradual commercial operation from 2032. The schedule is demanding, because all the facilities will need to be fully operational by 2035 to deal with the obsolescence of GSM-R, for which some manufacturers will no longer guarantee maintenance from 2030. FRCMS is putting the national rail network on track to the future!

FRMCS projects

Within the context of FRMCS deployment, SNCF Réseau is carrying out Research & Development projects in partnership with manufacturers (Siemens, Alstom, Kontron, Thalès, Nokia, etc.) and other European infrastructure managers (the Austrian OEBB, the Swiss SBB, the German DB Infrago, the Spanish ADIF and the Dutch Prorail):

  • 5G-RACOM (5G for resilient and green RAil COMmunication): this Franco-German project is studying solutions for the efficient, reliable and sustainable use of FRMCS. Among other things, it aims to study, develop and test radio technologies capable of supporting both 2G and 5G systems during the migration phase, and is supported by the French government via the France 2030 investment plan.
  • 5G-RAIL: a project that ended in December 2023, which involved building and testing the first FRMCS technology prototypes. 
  • R2 DATO: the R2 DATO programme focuses on train automation, with an increasing emphasis on FRMCS.
  • MORANE 2: (MObile Radio for RAilways Networks in Europe) also known as “Destination 2”. This programme, which is currently under construction, will enable product development standards to be validated. It will run for three years between 2024 and 2027.