Weights and Dimensions Directive amendment: impractical and ineffective measures for the railway sector

As the EU institutions are debating the European Commission’s proposal to amend the Directive governing the Weights and Dimensions of commercial road vehicles, CER, ERFA, UIC, UIP and UIRR presented today a joint study, carried out by the consultants d-fine GmbH, on the impacts of the Commission’s proposal.

Alberto Mazzola, Executive Director of CER stated: “The positive modal shift impact of Greening Freight Transport and the TEN T revision will be jeopardised by the revision of the Directive on weights and dimensions of road vehicles. This study confirms that the Commission proposal, if approved as it stands, will induce a modal shift from rail to road and as a result increase transport external costs and emissions, reduce road safety, and increase road maintenance costs. While CER does not object to the support of road Zero Emission Vehicles, we nonetheless call on legislators to keep the current limits of 40 tons for cross border road traffic and to eliminate those clauses favouring megatrucks crossing Europe”.

Read below the joint press release.