Financial Aid Scheme for Rail Vehicle Owners

To facilitate the transition to ERTMS and reduce the economic impact on Rail Vehicle Owners (RVOs), the Norwegian government has introduced a Financial Aid Scheme for the implementation of ERTMS onboard.

  • Prosjektnyheter
  • Nytt digitalt signalsystem (ERTMS)
Tog i norsk natur

Foto: Øivind Haug, Bane NOR

Bane NOR is responsible for the management and administration of the
The Financial Aid Scheme (FAS) on behalf of the Railway Directorate. The FAS main characteristics are summarised below:

Who is eligible for aid?

To be eligible for aid, the RVO shall:

  • Own vehicles that operate on the Norwegian railway network
  • Have signed a Cooperation Agreement with Bane NOR
  • Have signed the Onboard Contract with the supplier of ERTMS Onboard equipment

RVOs may apply for aid to vehicles that operated in passenger or freight traffic on the Norwegian railway network during 2016 (timetable period R16).

Aid intensity

The FAS will support 50 % of eligible costs. The maximum aid amount is:

  • 5 MNOK per First of Class installation
  • 2 MNOK per series installation

Special conditions

Special conditions apply for the following situations:

  • Cross-border operations
  • Replacement of old vehicles
  • Aid to operators of RVO vehicles
  • Own procurement of ERTMS onboard equipment

Guideline for the Financial Aid Scheme, see link below.

Updated Guideline

Minor changes and clarifications have been introduced in the Guideline since first published by JBV. Here is a summary of the most important changes:

  • the ownership of the Guideline has been transferred to the Railway Directorate
  • the Railway Directorate and Bane NOR replaces JBV, and their roles and responsibilities are defined
  • the possibility to replace an eligible vehicle with a leased vehicle has been introduced
  • clarification of the requirement to install ERTMS version BL 3.6 (or higher) in case of own procurement
  • a Payment Request template will be provided
  • clarifications on currency and indexation
  • clarification of requirement on vehicle approval after installation
  • updated appeal procedure
  • correction of entry into force

Definitive Application

After signing the Onboard contract with the supplier, the RVO shall submit a Definitive Application for aid. The application shall contain a list of committed vehicles and a committed time schedule that correspond to the milestones in the rollout plan for the ERTMS Onboard project.

Template for Definitive Application (updated November 7th 2018), see link below.

For cross-border operations, the application shall include vehicle schedules/roster for all concerned vehicles.

Template for Specification of Cross-Border Operations, see link below.

The decision by Bane NOR will be communicated in a Definitive Grant Letter.

Payment Requests

If the Definitive Application is approved, the RVO can send quarterly Payment Requests to Bane NOR, documenting accrued eligible costs.
Payment Request must be sent as a regular invoice to Bane NOR with template attached.

We have two templates, A and B, for Internal Costs:

Internal costs template A is an extract of template B with only the total hours and amount charged for the period. Template A must be sent to Bane NOR.

Internal costs template B is the detailed internal cost time sheet and must be verified by enclosing time sheets approved by an accountant for the actual persons and period. The template B must be kept by Beneficiary and shall not be sent if not specifically requested by Bane NOR. Bane NOR can, at any time, request access and documentation in case of an audit.

Template for Payment Request (updated April 30th 2019), see link below.

Status Report and Cost Forecast

For Bane NOR to monitor progress and perform payment forecasting, beneficiaries shall twice a year (in May and November) submit a Status Report and Cost Forecast. Template for Status Report and Cost Forecast (updated Desember 6th 2018), see link below.

Legal framework

The FAS was approved by the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) in Brussels in March 2016 (decision 063/16/COL) and by the Norwegian Parliament in June 2016.

Jernbaneverket (JBV) first published the FAS in December 2016. Following the Railway Reform of 1st Jan 2017, Bane NOR replaced JBV and the Railway Directorate was formed.

Bane NOR is now responsible for the management and administration of the FAS on behalf of the Railway Directorate.

The FAS is regulated by the Railway Directorate in a Guideline published by Bane NOR on this website. 

For more information please contact: bodil.erring@banenor.no.

The ERTMS Onboard project

  • Bane NOR has lead the procurement and will coordinate the implementation of ERTMS onboard. This creates economy of scale and enables an efficient introduction and deployment of ERTMS, both on infrastructure and rolling stock.
  • To regulate roles and responsibilities, Bane NOR has entered into Cooperation Agreements with each participating RVO. Bane NOR and participating RVOs have entered into contracts with Alstom, the supllier of the ERTMS onboard equipment.
  • Bane NOR will lead development, test and approval of the Generic Application of the onboard system. The Generic Application will form the basis for Specific Applications for the different vehicles types.
  • The RVOs are responsible for purchasing the necessary Specific Applications, equipment, installation and services under this agreement and fulfil the time schedule for retrofitting their vehicles. 

Financial aid scheme for RVOs

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