Despite the fact that the liberalisation of the railway freight market facilitated the access of new operators, the market mechanisms do not suffice in order to organise, regulate and guarantee rail freight traffic security. In this context, creating international railway corridors for a European railway network so as to increase freight transport competitiveness in order for freight trains to operate under better conditions and to facilitate cross-border traffic would help improve infrastructure use conditions.
Improved flexibility
On October 20, 2010, the European Commission published the regulations stipulating the enforcement and organisation of international freight corridors for a competitive rail freight transport. The regulations were adopted by the European Parliament in may 2010 and they stipulate the selection, organisation and administration of freight corridors, as well as an initial investment planning for the corridors in question. Under the new legislation, every EU member state that shares a railway border with another EU member state has the obligation to participate at the enforcement of at least one freight transport corridor, except if the respective country already has a corridor along its railway network. For every freight corridor, EU member states have to appoint an executive committee in charge of defining the general objectives of the freight corridor in question. The executive committee is made up of representatives from the national authorities of the respective member states. The responsibilities of the executive committee and of the board of directors do not affect the independence of infrastructure managers. “We believe that it is necessary to enforce an efficient coordination at national level in order to improve rail infrastructure performance. It is also essential that European transport ministers work together in establishing a certain corridor that will be improved as a network for railway freight transport”, said CER Executive Director Johannes Ludewig after the adoption of the new legislation. The freight corridor implementation project takes into consideration the development of railway terminals in order to meet the needs for railway freight transport, especially when terminals act as intermodal hubs. In one year, the EU member states that have at least two direct rail links with other member states will have to allow the enforcement of a freight corridor. In the following three years, all member states will have to allow the enforcement of at least one freight corridor. EP members decided that the creation of several freight corridors will be agreed upon by every member state, based on market requirements. “In my opinion, in 2050 the railways will be predominantly used for freight transport over distances longer than 300 km. These freight corridors, single ticket offices and increased cooperation stipulated under the new legislation will allow rail freight transport suppliers to attract additional customers towards this eco-friendly mode of transport”, said Siim Kallas, European Commissioner in charge of transport. The new legislation will facilitate the creation of nine rail freight corridors that will link the main industrial regions in Europe. As for the enforcement of these corridors, EU member states will have to work together or, based on a solid economic evaluation, propose other viable routes that could be included in the TEN-T network. Improving operations along the international rail freight corridors will improve cooperation between infrastructure managers in terms of coordinating investments and works, allocating traffic capacity and management. This way they will be able to guarantee a high level of performance, consolidate cooperation related to the use of terminals, coordinating the access conditions and the competences accumulated by the notification bodies regarding non-discriminatory infrastructure access. The board of directors that monitors a freight corridor creates or enforces a single body („single ticket office”) which provides operators with the possibility to demand and receive feedback from a single source and within a single operation concerning the infrastructure capacity for the freight trains that cross at least one borderline along the respective freight corridor. EP members outlined the fact that these sections that are not part of the TEN-T network but which carry „large or approximately large freight volumes” may also be included in the freight corridors.
by Elena Ilie
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