"How to reduce access charges for rail and improve the competitive offer?”
This was the main topic of the ERFA Annual Event, a seminar which gathered about 100 experts from all over Europe.
EU rules oblige Member States to put in place incentives for reducing rail access charges. Yet in many countries the costs keep going up! Access charges are a significant cost on the rail business, especially as for the most part rail’s main competitor road does not pay a similar per km fee for using the infrastructure. What can be done to ensure that access charges support rail’s competitiveness and attractiveness for customers?
Dirk Stahl, CEO of BLS Cargo and Michail Stahlhut, CEO of SBB Cargo International, presented about the consequences of Rastatt on the economy and customer confidence. The UK scheme to compensate Railway Undertakings for the impact to their services during planned disruptions and the Italian measure to reduce the imbalance between rail and road were also presented. Two interesting and inspiring tools based on EU regulations which have improved the quality of the rail freight offering.
Read the ERFA Press Release to discover more!