The European rail supply industry says it “supports” a major new competition report’s recommendations.
The sector says this could cut emissions, lower freight costs by 10% and “drive investment in rail.”
The report on the future of European competitiveness was authored by former Italian PM Mario Draghi.
It sets out the former European Central Bank President’s vision to bolster the European model of growth and prosperity.
Reaction has been swift including from the rail sector which says that reducing freight costs by 10%, cutting “stagnant“ transport emissions, and investing in key programs such as the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC), are “central” to such plans.
Its representative body UNIFE said it “welcomes” recommendations in the report published on 9 September.
It calls for several key shake-ups such as investing in key rail programmes, further progress on shifting additional activity to more sustainable modes of transport and addressing unfair competition.
Draghi, in the report, reminds policymakers transport accounts for 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions and unlike other sectors, CO2 emissions from transport are still higher than in 1990. He also outlines rail produces only 0.4% of Europe’s total transport greenhouse gas emissions.
The report stresses that more effective railway management could contribute to reducing freight transport congestion on roads.
Road congestion is estimated to cost the EU €230 billion a year, with a greater intermodal transport shift reducing freight transport on door-to-door costs by 10% and bringing external cost savings of almost €20 billion in the next 25 years.
Draghi’s report backs the calls of the European rail supply industry and echoes the Letta Report, released earlier this year, criticising the persistence of an “unharmonised” rail signalling network, which differs in each Member State’s railway system. The report states
“the EU still lacks interoperable rail command, control and signalling, despite several EU bodies working towards this objective”.
In this respect, UNIFE applauds the proposal to remove barriers to interoperability.
Echoing UNIFE’s messages, Draghi also urges key investment to roll out digital solutions projected to boost rail capacity and run more services, such as the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) as part of ERTMS, Digital Capacity Management (DCM), and Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC).
UNIFE said it “fully supports” the proposal to mobilise public and private financing, especially by increasing EU and Member State resources for cross-border connectivity, military mobility or climate resilience.
The report also tackles key concerns UNIFE says it has “repeatedly” raised, such as the absence of a level playing field with certain non-EU actors.
A UNIFE spokesman said,
“We strongly welcome the proposals to level the playing field for EU industries through public procurement and an EU export credit facility, while also leveraging the Global Gateway initiative to promote EU standards for rail around the world.”
