For many traditional activities, the economic recession represents a threat to the organisation and response to the actual market needs, but it also represents a real opportunity for those who can bring new answers to the demands launched by the society, by the various consumer groups. Railway Europe has currently reached a crossroad, just like the rest of society. The fact that the economic recession and the liberalisation of the transport activities overlaid brought a change in the way railway environment has to respond to customers’ demands, both from within the industry and in relation with the end customer. The economic models adopted by the air and road transport industries have begun to make their presence felt in our field of activity as well. The transition from a range of atomized markets to a single European railway market is a major issue on the agenda of railway operators and the European Commission alike. The recent speech made by EC Vice-President Siim Kallas in Berlin outlined precisely this reorientation towards integrating rail infrastructure into a single European coordination structure. Eliminating the administrative barriers along the Pan-European corridors seems to be a major concern for the Commission from an operational point of view, as well as in terms of design and construction works. This European vision on the railway sector completes the initiatives taken by large (private or state-owned) railway operators, which are aimed at providing attractive and competitive cross-border commercial offers. The recent opening of the Channel Tunnel for other passenger transport operators is maybe the most eloquent example. The creation of “Railway Europe” has begun at an optimum time, in the context in which the European Commission is preparing to enter a straight-line and coordinate its actions with the future single budget (post 2014). The proper repositioning of European, national and regional/local interests will speed up investments in transport infrastructures and mobility increase. A very important aspect for ensuring social cohesion, especially seeing as the number of ICT offers to reduce mobility have increased due to the improvement of the remote and virtual working infrastructures. Combining the efforts of politicians, engineers and railway designers in order to increase the attractiveness of the railway service and vehicle will counter-balance this trend towards immobilism promoted by the ICT community.
by Ştefan Roseanu
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