Creating a single European rail capacity market – RUs´ position on unified processes
Railway Undertakings – organised in FTE, ERFA and Allrail – consider the single European market as a necessary ambition to allow seamless domestic and cross-border traffic making running a train as easy as running a truck or a bus.
Therefore, to improve customer services, reduce the hurdles for cross-border trains, and for business expansion, RUs ask IMs and policymakers for the creation of a real single European rail capacity market, without specific national standards. The goal is that the capacity planning is done the same way all over Europe, no matter if on one IM network or across several borders. This shall be supported by a harmonised European legal framework.
Efficient digitalisation to support European rail capacity management – RUs´ position on IT in capacity management
Railway Undertakings – organised in FTE, ERFA and Allrail – consider efficient handling of the capacity management process as key to improving quality and reducing costs. With increasing traffic volumes and TCRs, the increased data flow requires modern, customer-oriented IT support across Europe.
The goal of RUs therefore is to have efficient backing by the IT landscape of IMs, aligned across Europe, making no difference between national and international traffic, covering all capacities and all process steps using end-to-end standards.
Providing the capacity which and when the market needs it – RUs´ position on market-oriented capacity management
Railway Undertakings (RUs) – organised in FTE, ERFA and Allrail – consider suitable timetables as the essential basis for providing satisfying services to rail freight and passenger customers.
Therefore, the goal of rail infrastructure capacity management is to provide the necessary quantity and quality capacity for all traffic needs at the time when it is required by the customers. With existing capacity processes not fulfilling all these needs, RUs ask for a common, European-wide improved process, supported by the necessary legal framework.
Trans-European transport network EU Commission proposal: a wonderful opportunity to make ERTMS deployment priority number one
With the introduction of the Commission's trans-European transport network proposal (TEN-T), AERRL and ALLRAIL would like to emphasise the need for making the ERTMS the priority number one for the future of rail. This would require obligations on the part of the players, in order to ensure deployment based on transparent and synchronised planning as well as ambitious subsidy programmes coming from the Commission.
How to optimize TCR processes to strengthen rail transport in Europe
Railway Undertakings rely on high quality rail paths to be competitive in the European transport sector. Temporary Capacity Restrictions are massively influencing rail transport day by day. On the one hand, construction work is urgently needed to make the rail network in Europe more attractive and, on the other hand, current operations must not suffer as a result. In this area of conflict, it is necessary to optimize existing processes for IMs to be able to offer the needed capacity reliably and make rail transport more competitive.