Brussels, 22/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - Member states decided at the Competitiveness Council on 20-21 February not to oppose adoption by the Commission of amendments to the technical specification for interoperability relating to the sub-system “telematics applications for freight services” of the trans-European rail system and of a decision on common safety targets for the rail system. This leaves the way open for the Commission to act in these two areas, unless, of course, the European Parliament should raise any objections.
The Commission will update the implementing rules of the technical specification for interoperability relating to the “telematics applications for freight services” sub-system. The relevant regulation will, then, be amended, and railway companies, infrastructure managers and wagon keepers will have to abide by it.
The Commission could also bring in a raft of new common safety targets in the rail sector, once the results of the introduction of the first raft of targets, which dates from 2010, are known. These common standards determine the minimum levels of security that have to be assured in the sector, expressed in quantitative risk acceptance criteria for different risk categories, such as risks to passengers, staff, level-crossing users and society as a whole. (MD/transl.rt)