Brussels, 03/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of publication of the fourth rail package at the end of the year, the European Commission published a report at the end of August on developments in the railways market for the European Parliament. In this, the third such report, the Commission sets out how the crisis is impacting on rail transport and the creation of a single European railways area. Although freight has returned to the same share of the market as it held before the crisis, it has nevertheless been the worst hit (having fallen in 2010 to 85% of its 2008 level, for example), passenger transport has not been badly affected. It has grown in the old member states, but fallen in the new. Rail markets have continued to open up, despite the crisis, but the Commission says that member states are operating at different speeds in this connection. It is pleased that the arrival of new players has not had a negative impact on safety. The opening up of the passenger market (the object of the EU legislation in the fourth rail package) has seen progress, with countries still having a rail monopoly now being in the minority (Belgium, Greece, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovenia and Slovakia). (MD/transl.fl)