Brussels, 02/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The United Kingdom is the first country in the EU to have fully liberalised its rail market, almost 20 years ago. It has a relatively good performance and could be used as an inspiration for reform of the rail market that the EU is undertaking, according to the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER). Both organisations are involved in presenting Sir Roy McNulty's report analysing rail in the UK, during an event organised on Wednesday 1 February at the European Parliament under the auspices of Brian Simpson (S&D, UK), chair of the parliamentary committee on transport.
Successful liberalisation across the Channel. The report considers that British rail transport is performing better, is more punctual and has gained passengers and freight traffic, since effective separation of infrastructure managers and service operators. Nonetheless, prices and costs passed on to taxpayers remain 30% higher than in other countries (France, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands). McNulty is therefore formulating recommendations to carry out a “re-alignment” between operators and the infrastructure managers. Although the British model will add grist to the mill of the European institutions in their determination to reform the rail market and make it more competitive, the model, nevertheless, still requires room for fine-tuning.
The EU should take this into account. In the second half of the year, the European Commission will announce a fourth railway package and the positions of Parliament and the Council are expected to be reconciled under Danish presidency on the subject of recasting the railway package. In this context and in light of the McNulty report, Keir Fitch, Deputy Head of Cabinet for Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas, admitted on Wednesday that the British experience was food for thought but that there was no “one size fits all” solution, given the historic differences between EU countries. He therefore considers that separation should be accompanied by close cooperation between the two entities, which the Commission could help facilitate. He also thinks that the franchise model is a possible option but that this should not be for too long because competition could ultimately be harmed. CER Executive Director Libor Lochman said: “The case of Great Britain demonstrates the need for sufficient flexibility to allow member states to develop national rail sector models that truly deliver.” (MD/transl.fl)