the prompt ERFA the legislators of the EU to get ahead the fourth railway package in its entirety



The European Rail Freight Association (ERFA) speeds up the legislators of the European Union not to split the pillars "technical" and "politician" (or "market") of so-called the fourth railway package, the legislative initiative constituted by six stiff proposals to remove the obstacles to the completion of the only European railway space. The three proposals of the technical pillar have the objective to mainly eliminate the administrative and technical obstacles through the definition of a common guideline on safety and the interoperability and with the strengthening of the European Railway Agency. With the three proposals of the political pillar/market agrees to open the market of the rail shipment of the passengers to the competition, to strengthen the governance of the management of the railway infrastructure and to increase the transparency of the money movements.

According to the ERFA, association that represents the entered new societies in the European railway market, he is indispensable to do so as that the legislative proposal is maintained in its entirety, being conserved the compresenza of the technical pillar and that politician. "If it comes scissa - it has emphasized the association - is destroyed". "To go ahead with the removal of a series of obstacles, but of the others - it has explained the ERFA - it does not mean to behind schedule leave the railway field in a position weak person and regarding the other modalities of transport".

According to the association, "it is solo through the interaction of the changes in the technical pillar and that politician who the customers and the passengers can indeed benefit of reduced costs and more tempting services. Customers and passengers - he has observed the ERFA - can benefit from rotabile material that is planned and authorized for being used everywhere in Europe only if meanwhile the railway operators have equal opportunities of access to the railway infrastructure and management of their railway services. If this does not happen, will the producers be able to benefit so of a cost reduction as the railway operators, but - it has evidenced the association - if the main problems of access to the infrastructure are not faced - as for example if the manager of the infrastructure prevents to the operators to supply new services - these benefits as they could be transmitted to be to the passenger and the customer? The possession on hand material ready rotabile to being used in all Europe is important, but if the railway infrastructure is not adapted on what the trains will travel"

"Many times over - it has remembered the ERFA - the deficiency of infrastructures is cited as one of the reasons that undermine the competitiveness of the railroads. In fact the political pillar could contribute to resolve this problem: the transparency financial institution - it has specified the association - is an essential element of the political pillar. Deep the destined ones to finance the infrastructure - it has denounced the ERFA - are used by the historical operators are in order to increase their market share through acquisitions or in order to reduce their costs artificially or to increase the costs of their competitors. A full transparency financial institution would eliminate this improper use of the public money, with a consequent increase of the investments in the development of infrastructures".

The association has moreover found that "the attraction of private investments is essential for the development of the railway infrastructure. The difficult economic situation makes to preview that the public subsidies for the rail shipment would not have to increase in the next few years. The private investments in the fleeting services and goods - it has evidenced the ERFA - carry innovation, a decided improvement of the services and results in increase. However investor will not attract themselves if these will continue to having the fear of political interferences by the historical operators, a risk that is uncertain and difficult to quantify. The private sector can carry out a role in overwhelming the deficiency of financings, but only if the conditions for attrare it towards the railway field are put in existence. The political pillar - it has remembered the ERFA - has the objective to remove the barriers that return the market of insufficient interest and that the private operators discourage to invest in the field".