The future of EU transportation infrastructure UIRR welcomes the proposal of the European Commission that has been adopted on 14 December 2021 to revamp the Trans European Network for Transportation (TEN-T) Regulation1.Special recognition from the road-rail Combined Transport sector goes to the following aspects of the proposal:
- The punctuality objective: 90% of cross-border freight trains must be at their destination within 30 minutes of their scheduled time of arrival.
- The time allowance for crossing an internal EU border of 15 minutes, which shall include any applicable border police controls as well as technical and administrative procedures.
- The inclusion of the p400 loading gauge as a requirement for the railway infrastructure network.
The European Commission’s vision for an efficient and interconnected EU-wide transport network for both the transportation of passengers and freight is highly progressive. Here the emphasis should be placed on the widest possible use of the
socio-economic cost-benefit analysis in determining the desirable projects of common interest. UIRR suggests that the drive for zero-carbon emission, which will be a dominating feature of the future EU transportation infrastructure, is complemented by
the cultivation of the most energy efficient transportation technologies and solutions. The requirement for developing an alternative fuelling infrastructure will extend also to electric charging stations and, where economically feasible, to the development of direct-grid electric-power primarily in case of the railway infrastructure. The
track-speed requirement for freight railway lines is 100km/h, which is sufficient. In case the socio-economic cost-benefit analysis supports it, Member States may apply for a derogation from the higher, 160km/h track speed requirement of passenger-only and mixed-use railway lines.
Freight terminals received a dedicated section in the proposed new regulation. The obligation foreseen for Member States to assess the adequacy of the freight transhipment capacities on their territory, especially with a view to the market-share doubling foreseen for rail freight by 2050, is highly necessary. This should be complemented by the identification of plots of land suitable for freight terminal construction along their respective railway networks, where besides good interconnectedness with the other modes, the possibility of direct entry with an electric line locomotive should be a factor. UIRR published a position paper on the TEN-T revision requirements of the European intermodal freight transportation sector in April 20212. Most of the expectations formulated therein have been embraced in the proposal with the exception of the
periodic re-certification of the railway lines which do not yet offer a P400 loading gauge.____________1
https://transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/2e380f97-0c9d-45d1-badf-70af0832d128_en 2
https://www.uirr.com/en/media-centre/press-releases-and-position-papers/2021/mediacentre/1830-position-paper-ten-t-guidelines-revision-key-to-a-competitive-infrastructure.html Ralf-Charley Schultze “The European intermodal freight transport sector greets the proposal and wishes to emphasise the need to place an equal focus on zero-carbon emissions and the pro-rata energy efficiency of the transportation technologies and solutions, which are promoted through the way the EU transportation infrastructure is to be developed over the coming decades.” – pointed out UIRR President Ralf-Charley Schultze.UIRR welcomes the proposal of the European Commission that has been adopted on 14 December 2021 to revamp the Trans European Network for Transportation (TEN-T) Regulation1.Special recognition from the road-rail Combined Transport sector goes to the following aspects of the proposal: §
The punctuality objective: 90% of cross-border freight trains must be at their destination within 30 minutes of their scheduled time of arrival. §
The time allowance for crossing an internal EU border of 15 minutes, which shall include any applicable border police controls as well as technical and administrative procedures. §
The inclusion of the p400 loading gauge as a requirement for the railway infrastructure network. The European Commission’s vision for an efficient and interconnected EU-wide transport network for both the transportation of passengers and freight is highly progressive. Here the emphasis should be placed on the widest possible use of the
socio-economic cost-benefit analysis in determining the desirable projects of common interest. UIRR suggests that the drive for zero-carbon emission, which will be a dominating feature of the future EU transportation infrastructure, is complemented by
the cultivation of the most energy efficient transportation technologies and solutions. The requirement for developing an alternative fuelling infrastructure will extend also to electric charging stations and, where economically feasible, to the development of direct-grid electric-power primarily in case of the railway infrastructure. The
track-speed requirement for freight railway lines is 100km/h, which is sufficient. In case the socio-economic cost-benefit analysis supports it, Member States may apply for a derogation from the higher, 160km/h track speed requirement of passenger-only and mixed-use railway lines.
Freight terminals received a dedicated section in the proposed new regulation. The obligation foreseen for Member States to assess the adequacy of the freight transhipment capacities on their territory, especially with a view to the market-share doubling foreseen for rail freight by 2050, is highly necessary. This should be complemented by the identification of plots of land suitable for freight terminal construction along their respective railway networks, where besides good interconnectedness with the other modes, the possibility of direct entry with an electric line locomotive should be a factor. UIRR published a position paper on the TEN-T revision requirements of the European intermodal freight transportation sector in April 20212. Most of the expectations formulated therein have been embraced in the proposal with the exception of the
periodic re-certification of the railway lines which do not yet offer a P400 loading gauge.____________1
https://transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/2e380f97-0c9d-45d1-badf-70af0832d128_en 2 https://www.uirr.com/en/media-centre/press-releases-and-position-papers/2021/mediacentre/1830-position-paper-ten-t-guidelines-revision-key-to-a-competitive-infrastructure.html
