25 July 2025
Bringing railway telecommunications in Great Britain into the era of high performance: this is the new assignment won by SYSTRA across the Channel, in collaboration with the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB).

SYSTRA UK & Ireland will support the RSSB, an independent body working to improve the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of the British railway network, in the deployment on this network of the strategic programme called FRMCS, or Future Railway Mobile Communication System, telecommunications equipment that will replace the aging GSM-R system.

The key to success: the international expertise of SYSTRA

The assignment entrusted to us by RSSB is to develop strategic options and a proposed roadmap to support the industry’s transition to FRMCS, which will be reviewed and taken forward by RSSB and relevant stakeholders.

SYSTRA’s unique approach is based on the methodologies and lessons learned from our initial projects using this type of technology in Australia and continental Europe, while ensuring strong involvement from all British stakeholders (Department for Transport, Office of Rail and Road, Network Rail, London St. Pancras Highspeed, railway operators, industrial suppliers, etc.).

Among our key deliverables are a report on the migration strategy, a framing presentation for industry groups, and a strategic outline. This work will be carried out jointly by the teams from SYSTRA UK & Ireland and SYSTRA Australia & New Zealand, along with our local partner JF Rail Consulting, while drawing on the expertise of the Group acquired in France and Denmark.

The key to our success lies in our ability to mobilise the best of SYSTRA’s international expertise in railway telecommunications systems. This has allowed us to make a difference in winning this contract. This win will position SYSTRA as a leading industrial partner for digital transformations and the digitisation of systems in the UK. Furthermore, it strengthens our role in the ERTMS migration project of the HS1 line, which we are currently undertaking for London St. Pancras Highspeed (formerly HS1 Ltd).

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