Brussels, 09/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - In the wake of the debate on the concepts of urban mobility and the future White Paper on transport policy, RoCK (Regions of Connected Knowledge), the project developed by six municipalities in the north-west of Europe (see below), recently put forward a series of solutions aimed at linking the regions and towns concerned by rail. RoCK also includes strengthening interoperability and cooperation between public transport operators with the backing of the European Union, with a view to facilitating travel between the regions concerned. A “metro” linking the towns of Lille and London under the Channel, in complement to the high speed rail services, a rail link between Eindhoven and Aachen, as well as the integrated ticket issue system for interregional crossborder links, are just a few of the projects put forward as part of the initiative. The project, which started up at the end of 2008 (with a budget of €5.9 million until 2013, funded by the European Regional Development Fund) groups the municipal authorities of the Netherlands (Eindhoven, Maastricht, Venlo), Germany (Aachen, Mönchengladbach), England (Reading Borough), France (Région Nord-Pas de Calais), the Belgian carrier DeLijn, the Dutch agglomeration of Limbourg, the Aachen public transport operator AVV, and the South East England Development Agency.
RoCK, whose representatives contacted EUROPE, are suggesting an enhanced European commitment in favour of harmonisation and the interoperability of the various national and regional systems for booking tickets, pricing and passenger information, as recommended in the European action plan for urban mobility (EUROPE 9988). Action proposed targets public transport, but does not rule out the involvement of private players (mobile operators, rail operators, etc) in order to make up any shortfalls in the national systems. RoCK representatives also call for involvement by the European Railway Agency (ERA) in the development of common standards. Tariff systems. According to RoCK, the best solution would be to allow passengers to buy a single ticket to cover the whole regional journey, irrespectively of the number of borders that have to be crossed. This can be achieved by placing an additional cross border tariff system on top of national/regional systems, or by agreeing on expanding one of the tariff systems into a neighbouring member state, or by merging two neighbouring tariff systems at the border and creating cross border tariffs in accordance with the respective national tariff system. The European Commission, RoCK points out, should intervene with stronger regulation and insist on transparent and accountable tariff systems to the customers' advantage. Ticketing. Rather than introduce sophisticated national systems, public transport operators should, RoCK says, take greater interoperability into account. Electronic ticketing systems should provide information in all languages concerned (for example, English, French, Dutch and German for the region of north-west Europe), and provide ticket sales for cross-border regional links. Due to its flexibility, the mobile phone is a suitable device that could function as an EU-wide recognised public transport ticket carrier. It would be up to the EU to develop the specific features of interoperability and common standards for electronic booking systems. Public operators should notify the EU of their intention to introduce such systems, explaining the requirements of interoperability for cross-border rail journeys. The EU could also launch a research programme for the harmonisation of reservation means for the electronic ticketing systems (such as mobile phones) and set a European price system in place to reward the most successful authorities. Passenger information. According to RoCK, ticket sellers or operators should provide passengers with a minimum amount of information in real time prior to the journey (conditions of sale, timetable, the fastest and cheapest way of travelling, accessibility for persons with reduced mobility, access for bicycles, procedures in the event of loss or damage of luggage and for filing complaints). Passengers should also be informed during the journey, especially in relation to on-board services, the next stations where the train stops, delays, main connecting services and security and safety issues. The content and standards of information should come within the European guidelines that the Commission may adopt in this connection. Where the public transport operator is not able to provide all the services, that operator may call on the services of a third player, especially private mobile phone operators. In order to avoid duplication between the information systems of the different regions, the public transport authorities concerned should create a centralised information site with the data communicated by each transport operator. (A.By./transl.jl)