Overview of ERFA Activities and developments within the organisation throughout 2021. The Annual Report includes a strong focus on the work of ERFA to support private and independent rail freight companies throughout the pandemic and afterwards.

This study provides an overview of the development of the European rail freight sector over the last two decades, with a particular focus on the consequences of the market liberalization that started in the 1990s. We discuss the current market structure and competitive arena, and the important role that challengers (formerly referred to as new entrants, as well as the foreign operations of incumbents) played in driving rail freight growth and innovation.

The ERFA Annual Report 2019 is available now.

European Railway Undertakings developed the Railway Undertaking Handbook for International Contingency Management. This Handbook outlines harmonized international contingency measures and was developed by the UIC ECCO group, which unites Railway Advisory Group Speakers and the ERFA representative of the European Rail Freight Corridor Network.

In this paper ERFA highlights concerns regarding track access charges and actions that can be taken to ensure that rail charging schemes support a more competitive rail freight sector. ERFA strongly welcomes Germany's decision to reduce track access charges in order to make rail freight transport more competitive with the other modes of transport.

ERFA has submitted an official position to OTIF on the proposal from Switzerland to modify Article 7 § 1 UR CUV (26th Meeting of the OTIF Revision Committee). ERFA does not support the Swiss proposal to modify the liability rules in case of damages to freight wagons.

Infrastructure Managers must strengthen their support for international services. Rail freight companies set out their priorities: - Infrastructure managers must take responsibility for developing one standard infrastructure. - Adaptation to different operational rules, signalling systems, language requirements, train parameters. - Full liability for the financial damages caused by Rastatt must also be settled by DB Netz.

ERFA with 28 other European and national-based associations co-signed an open letter addressed to: Commissioner Bulc, 28 EU Transport Ministers, Swiss Transport Minister, Rail Freight Corridors and Executive Director of ERA.  The Rastatt disaster led to chaos and wide-reaching economic damage. It is vital rail wins back customer confidence.

ERFA together with the European transport organisations promotes the campaign: More budget for transport. The transport sector plays a very important role in our day to day lives. It employs over 20 million people, which represents 10% of total EU employment. Every day the sector faces new challenges. To keep up with the times we need to continue the process of innovation we have begun. High EU financial resources are so important for the future!  

ERFA together with the European associations representing the rail sector presents a joint paper explaining why it is so important to continue to invest in rail. The JP underlines the need of more finance resources for the future to guarantee further developments of the sector.

Why does EU transport need more investments in the future? The transport associations from across the different modes, including ERFA, have joined forces to explain!

An open letter to EU Commissioner Bulc and Federal Minister Dobrindt in order to underline the severe problems that rail freight is facing on Europe’s most important North-South corridor The Rhine valley railways will be interrupted for almost two months because of the Rastatt construction site incident. Once the route is reopened on the announced date of 7 October 2017, railway logistics will have suffered immense damage.