The European Commission (EC) has adopted new rules designed to create fairer conditions for new train services, optimising the available rail infrastructure.
Effective from December, the new rules are intended to provide operators seeking to run new services with a better chance of gaining access to the network.
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The commission is concerned that EU rail markets are currently ‘characterised’ by dominant operators that may have close ties with infrastructure managers, which allows the operator to block access to the infrastructure through the use of framework agreements with the infrastructure manager. In some cases, agreements run for five or more years.
According to the commission, this would create new opportunities for employment and investment, while making the rail market more competitive and responsive to changing needs of shippers and passengers.
European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said: "Today’s adoption is a step in the right direction in order to make railways more efficient in Europe.
"The new framework agreements will give new entrants a better and fairer access to the rail infrastructure, offering them additional visibility and thereby fostering investments. These new agreements will also optimise the use of the rail infrastructure in Europe."
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By GlobalDataUnder the new rules, interested companies will be informed about available capacity and opportunities to conclude contracts.
The new rules include common criteria for concluding and modifying agreements in the event of conflicting requests, and a requirement for infrastructure managers to check regularly whether their clients still need specific paths.
