Brussels, 18/06/2013 (Agence Europe) -European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas has reaffirmed his determination to the rail industry that he will pursue reforms in the sector to make it more efficient and competitive. He spoke on this subject at the 25th anniversary of the European Railway Community (ECR), an environment less than hostile to his proposals on the 4th railway package.
Looking back over the past 25 years, the Commissioner reaffirmed his aversion to a fragmented railway market and said: “Today, we are still living with the consequences of that fragmented market. We have a collection of national railways that differ in track gauge, electrification, signalling and in many other technical areas. Rail is just not as competitive as it should be. It is not realising its full potential”.
Kallas does not intend to just sit back, however, and said: “I still believe we have never been closer to turning the dream of a single unified European rail area into a reality” despite the remaining technical and administrative obstacles. He therefore pointed out the importance of opening up the markets to competition, strengthening the role of the European Railway Agency and introducing the pan-European European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). All these goals are contained in the 4th railway package.
The Commissioner called on CER members to play an active and constructive role in the discussions on the subject and explained that “we do want to create fair conditions for all operators and shorter times to market. The single European rail area will allow more and better services for passengers and customers”. (MD/transl.fl)