European Railway Agency

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The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) has been established in 2004 to devise the technical and legal framework for creating a Single European Railway Area (SERA) as mandated under European Union law. ERA’s core activities are creating a harmonised approach to safety, removing technical barriers, advancing the single European Train Control and Communication System (ERTMS), and promoting simplified access for customers for the European rail sector.

With the entry-into-force of the technical pillar of the 4th Railway Package, the mandate of the Agency has been extended. As of June 2019, ERA will be a European authority responsible for issuing vehicle authorisations and safety certificates in the European Union, as well as pre-authorising ERTMS trackside equipment.

The central idea of the European Railway Agency (ERA) is to offer the EU Member States and the Commission a technical assistance in the fields of railway safety and interoperability. Practically that implies the development and implementation of Technical Specifications for Interoperability and a mutual approach to questions concerning railway safety. ERA's main task is to manage the preparation of these measures. railML.org cooperates with ERA in the RINF project.