On Friday 29 September, around 20 organisations working in the railway freight sector, including the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA) and the European Shippers’ Council (ESC), sent a letter to the European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, transport ministers in the Union and Switzerland and the Executive Director of the European Union Railway Agency, Josef Doppebauer. In the letter, the organisations call on these individuals to learn the lessons from the ramifications resulting from the Rastatt tunnel accident (see EUROPE 11855).
These organisations would like measures to be taken in an effort to avoid the kind of problems the freight sector suffers from following accidents. These different actors also said that these measures should include the introduction of alternative routes, a coordinating body involving national railway managers that is able to take action in the event of a crisis arising, financial support measures when there are disturbances on the networks and a body chaired by the European Commission that will focus on the impact of the Rastatt tunnel accident.
These railway organisations also welcomed the fact that the European Commission brought together stakeholders on 12 September last (see EUROPE 11861) in a meeting at the end of which it was decided to set up a working group on the issue. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)