The ERFA clearly expresses "" to the hypothesis not to return to companies that operate railway services and manage also the infrastructure



The association of the private and independent European societies railway that operate in the segment cargo has rejected without appeal the hypothesis ventilated from the Belgian federal minister of Mobility, François Bellot, of a fusion between the SNCB, the Belgian public society that work railway services, and Infrabel, the society, also it publishes, that it manages the railway net of Belgium, returning so to the antecedent situation 2005, year in which was put into effect the separation between the railway operator and the manager of the railway infrastructure.

According to the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA), the proposal advanced from the minister "raises serious worries on the impartiality of the manager of the infrastructure". For the association, "it is not clearly which can be the potential additional benefits of such proposal" and ERFA does not consider not even "that such a model will resolve conflicts in case of measures of emergency or services focused on the customer promuoverà are regarding the requirements of the passengers who those of the commercial field". Moreover the ERFA has emphasized that "such proposal is in conflict with the directive on the only European railway space that needs of the autonomy of the railway enterprises and the managers of the infrastructure".

"The existence of a manager of infrastructures independent - it has evidenced the association - is essential for the field of the transport goods that is confronted with the competition of the other modalities of transport". The ERFA, in particular, is worried moreover that "such vertical reinstatement could have an impact negative on the competition in the within of the same railway market of the goods, than - it has found the association - is vital in order to improve the efficiency, the quality of the offer and to attract private investments in the field".

The ERFA has remembered that some European markets, own those in which this vertical integration is still in vigor, suffer from the competition lack and - for the association - "would be a step behind if the nations that has already put into effect the separation returned to this model".

Rimarcando that "in order to accelerate the increase of the European market of the rail shipment of the goods and to guarantee the true completion of the only European railway space is fundamental that the managers of the infrastructure remain and, in some cases, becomes independent at last and impartial", the ERFA has concluded observing that "any reversal of this tendency would have as only effect an impact negative on the rail shipment of the goods and on the climatic objectives with which the field of the transports is confronted".