Brussels, 05/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - The members of EIM (European Rail Infrastructure Managers) welcomed the European Parliament's vote on the third rail package (EUROPE 9038), that should make it possible to move on to the next stage with the adoption of a Council common position. They thus gave a positive welcome to the certificate for engine drivers (Savary report) and to the acceleration of international passenger transport liberalisation by 2008, although opinions differed when it came to extending liberalisation to national networks and the date put forward by the European Parliament for liberalisation (Jarzembowski report). The EIM maintains a pragmatic approach, recommending that the first and second rail packages should be implemented, in parallel with the proposal for a regulation on public service obligations. Concerning passengers' rights and obligations (Sterckx report), the EIM suggests ensuring that rail penalties should be comparable to penalties in other transport modes, mainly air travel, and that a rail company should not be penalised twice - under Directive 2001/14 of the first rail package (system for enhancing performance) and also under the current proposal. Further to the rejection by MEPs of the draft regulation establishing compulsory compensation to be made in the case of late delivery (Zile report), the EIM reasserted the need to link any penalty mechanism for passenger transport to freight penalties. Although the EIM members do not necessarily support a mandatory system of penalties, they would be in favour of a penalty system on a voluntary basis by Member States, in order to improve the situation of rail freight transport.