Top railway stories from around the world.....HERE
eurotransport magazine
Issue 6
A Foreword from Jan Počiatek, Minister of Transport, Construction and Regional Development in Slovakia
CER - The Voice of European Railways
Press Release...
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CER takes note of the outcome of the vote held at the European Parliament Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Committee yesterday. Some aspects of the vote clearly represent improvements to the European Commission’s proposal, while others put in serious danger the efficiency of the railway business in Europe.
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The Interoperability Directive, the Safety Directive and the ERA Regulation were voted positively with the adoption of all compromise amendments. CER strongly believes that a positive step was taken towards a new legal framework for interoperability and safety and for shaping the European Railway Agency (ERA) as the railway authority issuing vehicle authorisations and safety certifications.
However, CER hopes that the following phases of the legislative procedure will also be devoted to improve the coherence between the two directives and the regulation, especially removing any repetition of the compatibility assessments that would go to the detriment of railway undertakings. Certain parts of the proposed framework might therefore need further clarification and interpretation in order to achieve an overall consistent legislation.
On the proposal amending the PSO Regulation (EC) N° 1370/2007, CER noted positive changes made in the compromise amendments prior to the yesterday’s vote. The adopted report represents an improvement in terms of flexibility of organisation of public transport by rail compared to the initial proposal of the European Commission albeit there are still some measures CER has concerns with. We believe that the final outcome can still be optimised during the upcoming legislative steps.
Regarding the Commission proposal to amend the Recast Directive 2012/34/EU on matters of governance and market opening, CER welcomes the Parliament’s vote on market opening for open access services, on Coordination Committees, on national regulatory bodies, and on the future European Regulatory Body.
However, CER is disappointed by the vote results with respect to the new separation requirements. There is strong evidence that no model guarantees market opening per se. CER will therefore continue to plead for more flexible arrangements in the choice of governance models aligned with the powers of regulatory bodies. Similarly, the adopted provisions for network of infrastructure managers and integrated ticketing are too rigid and therefore we look forward to a further constructive dialogue with all relevant parties to find the right compromise.
CER Executive Director Libor Lochman emphasised: “I do wish to express my appreciation to the MEPs for their work. However I have to state that this vote is a mixed bag for Europe’s railways: while a good job has been done on a number of issues, I consider that the proposal of the European Commission on the issue of governance has not been sufficiently amended.
Governance models have to respect various conditions across the EU Member States: the right of choice is a precondition for a necessary search for greater economic efficiency and better use of public money for Europe’s railway networks. These considerations were sadly mostly absent from the recent discussions.”
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Selected news links...
BBC iPlayer: Timeshift: The Joy of (Train) Sets
The Model Railway Story: How the British have been in love with model railways for more than a century, with unique archive and contributions from modellers such as Pete Waterman.
Edinburgh public get their first look at city's new trams
heraldscotland
East Anglia: Minister says there is a sense of urgency to improve rail services
eadt24
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