Finland exempted from GSM-R rail radio ahead of 2035 ETCS deadline

The European Commission has exempted Finland from the mandatory installation of the GSM-R rail radio system, accepting the country’s request to deploy a pre-FRMCS communication system instead. The decision, adopted on 10 September 2026, is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, L series, of 14 September 2026, as Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2021.

The exemption applies to the Finnish rail network and all rolling stock circulating on it, and remains in force until 31 December 2035. It was granted under Article 7(1), point (c), of Directive (EU) 2016/797 on the interoperability of the rail system, following a request submitted by Finland on 21 May 2025.

Legal basis and the radio requirement

The decision waives points 7.3.1.1 (2) and (3) and 7.3.2.1 (2) and (3) of Annex I to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1695, which set out the technical specification for interoperability of the control-command and signalling subsystems. Those points require the installation of GSM-R or FRMCS trackside and on-board when a radio subsystem is upgraded or when ETCS level 2 is implemented and needs data radio communication.

The European Union Agency for Railways completed its assessment of the notified national rules on 24 July 2026, and the file was closed with the notification of the adopted national rules.

Why Finland was exempted

Finland’s project consists of installing a Finnish pre-FRMCS communication system on its infrastructure and rolling stock alongside the deployment of ETCS level 2, upgrading the existing Finnish Class B radio system in most of its functions. According to the documents submitted by Finland, complying with the GSM-R requirement would have entailed:

• an additional installation cost of EUR 100,000,000;
• additional yearly operating costs of EUR 2,000,000;
• a system expected to become obsolete by the early 2030s and difficult to maintain by 2035.

The current Finnish Class B train protection system will become obsolete in 2035 and must be replaced by ETCS. The Commission accepted that postponing the start of ETCS deployment until FRMCS is available would be unsafe, and that the GSM-R costs would compromise the economic viability of the project.

Alternative provisions and conditions

As an alternative, Finland will apply the regulations of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) on the pre-FRMCS radio system, notified under rule FI-FI-2684-2-A for trackside equipment and as the “rules for Pre-FRMCS radio system” for on-board equipment. Finland also commits to:

• making the on-board pre-FRMCS equipment available free of charge and in a timely manner to any operator on the Finnish network;
• upgrading trackside equipment to FRMCS-compliant radio within three years of the availability of FRMCS products, assumed possible by 31 December 2035 at the latest;
• carrying out an economic analysis in 2033 of migrating the entire fleet and network to FRMCS.

Finland must inform the Commission without undue delay if the non-application could compromise railway safety. The decision, addressed to the Republic of Finland, was signed by Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Member of the Commission.

Why it matters

The decision lets Finland leapfrog the interim GSM-R standard and move directly toward FRMCS, the future railway mobile communication system, while keeping its ETCS deployment on schedule for 2035. For the EU rail industry and cross-border interoperability, it signals a pragmatic path for member states to avoid costly interim investments, while the Commission retains oversight to ensure safety and a timely migration to the future standard.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 14 September 2026, L 2026/2021 (official reference: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2021, CELEX L_202602021).