“The proposal as tabled by the European Commission will most likely only lead to minor improvements in rail freight services and not before 2030”, deplored the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA) in a position paper published on Friday 1 September.
In July, the Commission presented three proposals aimed at reducing the environmental impact of freight, including a new regulation on rail management (see EUROPE 13220/21).
“ERFA appreciates the general objectives of the regulation, but believes that significant improvements are needed if the regulation is to have a real and tangible impact on increasing rail freight volumes”, says the press release.
“A Regulation which delivers benefits to the market only from 2030 onwards is not acceptable”. We need a pragmatic approach which looks to deliver short and long-term goals”, commented Dirk Stahl, Chairman of ERFA. He spoke out in favour of “a decentralised approach to capacity management”.
In particular, ERFA called for a staggered implementation of the regulation.
Members of the European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) have also expressed concerns about the Commission's proposal (see EUROPE 13227/26).
Read the position paper: https://aeur.eu/f/8f2 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)