European rail CEOs gather to discuss priorities for 2022
Europe’s leading rail CEOs gathered virtually today for the Management Committee and 69th General Assembly of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), to discuss an ambitious work programme for 2022. The CER membership appointed unanimously Ms Marjan Rintel (CEO, NS) as Vice-Chair of the association, approved the application for membership of FNM Group and two important position papers related to the revision of EU Regulation 913/2010 concerning respectively ‘Rail Freight Corridors and Timetable Redesign including Digital Capacity Management’ – authored jointly with the European Rail Infrastructure Managers association (EIM) – and European Traffic Management.
EU Regulation 913/2010 on the creation of a European rail network for competitive freight transport relies on Rail Freight Corridors to promote rail freight traffic in a more efficient way throughout Europe. However, more than eight years after the start of the operational use of the Rail Freight Corridors, rail freight market share has not increased. The CER Position Paper (accessible here) sets out clear principles for strengthening the effectiveness of Rail Freight Corridors in relation to the upcoming revision, which is critical and should be used for far reaching reform. An accompanying annex details the advantages and implementation aspects of Timetable Redesign (TTR), including Digital Capacity Management (DCM).
The CER-EIM Position Paper (accessible here) on European Traffic Management stresses that a more efficient cooperation is needed among all the actors of the logistics chain, with the final aim to improve the performance and reliability of international rail transport in both regular services and services after disruptions. Traffic management is an area which plays a key role in strengthening the competitiveness of international rail transport for both passenger and freight services.
Furthermore, Ms Marjan Rintel (CEO, NS) was appointed unanimously as Vice-Chair of the association for the remainder of the 2022-2023 CER Management Committee term.
The Assembly also approved the application for membership of FNM Group. FNM Group is the leading integrated sustainable mobility group in Lombardy (Italy) operating inter alia the regional railway infrastructure and offering rail services for both passengers and freight.
Photo credit: NS