If yesterday was a black day for organizations representing the rail transport sector of goods because, with the green light from the European Parliament to new rules on the weight and dimensions of heavy-duty vehicles enable the introduction of maga-trucks on European roads ( of 12 March 2024), it is feared that this could further and further significantly decrease the ability to compete of the railway mode, always yesterday the same organisations in the rail sector have welcomed the what, given the outcome of the day, can be considered a consolation prize.

Yesterday, in fact, the European Parliament also approved the Proposal for a regulation on the use of railway capacity amending Directive No. 34 of 2021 and repealing Regulation No. 913 of 2010. The Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies (CER) welcomed the result of the vote, calling it 'a Important step towards a substantial increase in capacity and better capacity management. This legislation - underlined the European association, which represents national railway undertakings and associations, railway infrastructure managers and charterers of rolling stock - will help the industry to optimise the capacity and avoid wasted capacity, to increase the modal shift and to achieve the ambitious objectives of the Green Deal and the Smart Mobility and Strategy sustainable'.

The appreciation of the ERC, in particular, is addressed to the creation of a European Rail Platform (ERP), including in the proposal, with involvement in the award process railway capacity of railway undertakings and capacity applicants, as well as inclusion in the regulation of funding deemed sufficient for the implementation of the digitalisation of capacity and management of and the requirement for multi-annual funding by the Member States for a period of at least five years.