NEWSLETTER 09/2016 CONTENT Editorial............................................................................1 Interview Henrik Hololei............................................2 News from The Agency..............................................3 Spotlight on the customer........................................3 Upcoming Events.........................................................4
Editorial Dear Reader, We have entered the final quarter of an eventful year, and, with the InnoTrans fair from 20-23 September in Berlin, another highlight is still at our doorsteps. It will be the first time that the Agency is publicly presented under its new name and corporate design: with the favourable vote for the Technical Pillar of the 4th Railway Package in May 2016 (see the below interview with Henrik Hololei), the European Railway Agency in June became the European Union Agency for Railways, with an extended mandate in particular for European rail vehicle authorisation, safety certification, and ERTMS trackside approval. Speaking of ERTMS, the Agency highlighted the publication of the new TSI CCS, defining Baseline 3 Release 2 over the TEN-T days in Rotterdam in June. BL3 R2 delivers a stable specification that will serve as the backbone for Europe-wide implementation of ERTMS, and for the digitalisation of railways in Europe and beyond. At the same time we progressed with the ERTMS Stakeholder Platform, an effective tool for steering ERTMS implementation at management level (see below.) At InnoTrans, we will renew the Memorandum of Understanding between the European Commission, the Agency, and the rail sector representatives, in order to deepen collaboration and to enshrine the principle of compatibility, as preconditions to advance ERTMS implementation in Europe. Safety occurrence reporting is another priority at the Agency – in order for Europe to become world leader in rail safety, common standards for reporting, and a culture of trust among Europe’s operators shall lead to a better understanding of the underlying cau-
ses of accidents and improve railway safety performance. We are therefore pleased to launch the Safety Alert IT tool at InnoTrans (see below). And that is not all we have done in 2016 – we also talked about railway digitalisation and legislation with experts from National Safety Authorities (NSAs) and the rail industry at the European University Institute in Florence (please find the report here), we have held regional workshops on telematics applications, and occurrence reporting, and we have continued our collaboration with the College of Europe to give rail professionals insight into the European rail system with the European Training Centre for Railways (www.etcr.eu) . The integration of the European rail sector is moving forward, and the European Union Agency for Railways is at the heart of it, with an extended mandate and a new strategic vision (please find it here). We will present all our activities, and all our reports, at InnoTrans in hall 4.2, stand 301. I warmly invite you to visit us there to find out more, and to speak to one of our experts, perhaps over a coffee, about the future of the Single European Railway Area.
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undertaking to make a reasonable profit on a line which is not commercially viable.
Interview Henrik Hololei In June 2016 the Technical Pillar of the 4th Railway Package got a favourable vote in the European Parliament. How important is the technical integration of the European market for the rail sector? The 4th Railway Package will help European rail manufacturers thrive globally by simplifying the authorisation process in the EU and by removing remaining legal, technical and institutional barriers that hamper market access. The „technical pillar“ contains more competences for the European Union Railway Agency in order to allow a faster and unified safety certification across the EU, since until now railway undertakings needed to be certified separately by all national safety authorities (NSA) in the Member States with rail systems. Acting as a „One stop shop“, the Agency will issue authorisations for placing vehicles on the market and safety certification for railway undertakings. At the same time the Agency will have an enhanced role in the supervision of national rules with the right to request the removal of those deemed unnecessary and to monitor the role of the national authorities. The Commission pursues the growth of the rail market. The deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System, which is the backbone for digital railway applications, will contribute to this growth. In addition, ERTMS trackside approval will ensure compatibility and interoperability of the European rail network supporting the free circulation of vehicles in the network without technical obstacles. These measures will reduce both time to market for new railway undertakings as well as cost and duration for the authorisation of rolling stock. Overall, the European railway industry will profit from higher competitiveness.
ket by opening up the domestic passenger markets. This will lead to new and better services for passengers and generate business opportunities for operators. Competitive tendering for public service contracts will enable public authorities to get better value for each euro spent on public rail services. The procedures introduced by the technical pillar will cut red tape, turn the European Rail Agency into a real authority, and reduce costs for railway undertakings wishing to enter new markets. The overarching goal of the package is to improve the competitiveness and attractiveness of rail as an efficient, affordable and environmentally friendly mode of transport. This much-needed boost will secure and create jobs and establish the conditions for longterm investments. We expect the adoption of the market pillar by the end of 2016.
What is the European Commission’s vision for market competition in European railways? How can large and small market participants prepare for the future? Competition in the railway market refers to the possibility for European railway undertakings to request access to a Member States‘ railway infrastructure to compete with their services with other undertakings on the same tracks. This form of competition is only viable on lines which can be operated profitably. Competition for the railway market refers to the competitive tendering of public service contracts in rail. Typically, these contracts are linked to state subsidies or exclusive rights that enable the winning
Our vision is a Single European Railway Area in which high-traffic, profitable lines offer a diversified range of fares and services and mid- to low-volume railway lines are operated on the basis of competitively tendered public service contracts. While large railway companies, such as Deutsche Bahn or SNCF are obviously well-placed to reap the benefits of competition, I believe that there is scope also for smaller players who can bid for Public Service Obligation (PSO) contracts of a manageable size or offer specific services on a commercial line. However, it must be ensured that newcomers enjoy non-discriminatory access to the necessary rolling stock. There is no single recipe for success but in my opinion large, ex-monopolistic players should streamline their internal structures to become more cost-effective and embrace innovation. I see the competitive edge of smaller startups in their leaner structure and innovative business models. Nevertheless, let me underline that the prerequisite for attractive and successful railways is a modern and well-maintained infrastructure. Member States should ensure that sufficient resources are devoted to infrastructure upkeep and improvement.
What role will the railways play in creating a sustainable future for European transport? Transport is at the heart of our economy, but it also contributes substantially to CO2 emissions. The decarbonisation of transport is a top priority of the Commission and rail has a central role to play. While reducing vehicle emissions and improving fuel efficiency is part of the answer, it is also crucial to encourage modal shift to less carbon-intensive modes of transport such as rail and inland waterways. Rail has the potential to compete with air transport and to divert passengers and freight away from our congested roads. To exploit its full decarbonisation potential, the railway network should be electrified and powered by green electricity. However, to increase the share of rail. transport, services need to be better and prices affordable. This is what we want to achieve.
What are your hopes and expectations for the market pillar of the 4th Railway Package? The market pillar of the 4th Railway Package will reform the regulatory framework for railways in Europe. It will pave the way for the creation of a genuine internal rail marEuropean Union Agency for Railways Newsletter 09/2016 | 2
News from the Agency ERTMS Baseline 3 Release 2 (B3R2) – Stable Specifications as Base for Future Evolution and Implementation Delivered in 2015 and entered into force on 5 July 2016, Baseline 3 Release 2 of the European Rail Traffic Mangement System (ERTMS) will be instrumental in overcominge obstacles for ERTMS deployment on the European rail network. For trackside equipment, all ERTMS on-board systems are backwards compatible with baseline 2.3.0d. Existing ERTMS investments shall be fully protected, with a compensation scheme that applies when new functions, which improve the business case for railways, are introduced that affect the onboard systems of rail operators. A functionally adequate, high-performing, safe, secure, and costeffective ERTMS will serve as global reference for train control, and provide the backbone for the digitalisation of railways. Effective management for ERTMS will be provided through the ERTMS Stakeholder Platform, where market participants can solve implemen-
Safety Alerts IT system to be launched at InnoTrans 2016 To support the Agency’s strategic objective for Europe to become the world leader in railway safety, the Agency has established a Safety Alerts IT tool (SAIT) – the first Agency deliverable of the Technical Pillar of the 4th Railway package.
tation obstackles at management level. In the presence of the European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc, a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed to seal this new collaborative approach for ERTMS at the stand of the EU Agency for Railways on Tuesday 21 September. Please find out more on the current legal reference of ERTMS at era. europa.eu
The SAIT will facilitate the timely sharing of information about significant risks relating to technical equipment, supporting fellow operators to take immediate action to avoid accidents. The tool is available in 3 languages, more language versions are underway. It can be used on portable devices and provides alerts and notifications in real time. Sharing and reporting information that results in clear action to improve safety is a key element of creating positive railway safety cultures across Europe. The Agency will officially launch the tool at the Innotrans fair in Berlin on Wednesday 21 September 2016. Find out more about the Safety Alerts IT tool at https://safetyalerts. era.europa.eu/safetyalerts
Spotlight on the customer Data on EU railway stations’ accessibility – making it stepfree accessible After intensive work with experts from stakeholder associations and national authorities, the Agency has developed a proposal of features for the “Inventory of Assets (IoA)”.
once voted, will enforce the IoA implementation. Meanwhile, the data model and the tools for collecting/converting the data at the level of stations are being developed by an IT contractor of the European Commission.
With a special focus on the information needs of persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility (PRMs), the IoA is planned to record a set of relevant accessibility characteristics (e.g. platforms, access to trains, signage, dynamic information, ticketing facilities) at the level of all railway stations in the EU in a simple, interoperable format and using a flexible IT architecture. The system may be embedded by interested companies into more sophisticated commercial applications such as route planners, while national authorities will use it to monitor the remaining barriers to accessibility in view of their progressive elimination. In May, the Agency has started to amend the current text of the PRM Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) with the detailed features of the IoA. The recommendation is due 2017 and, European Union Agency for Railways Newsletter 09/2016 | 3
Upcoming Events Hall 4.2 stand 301
The world’s largest rail exhibition is at our doorstep – please come and visit us at Messe Berlin in hall 4.2, stand 301. Click here to find the full programme.
Tuesday 20 September
Wednesday 21 September
Thursday 22 September
09h15 – 09h45 Signature of ERTMS MoU
09h30 – 10h00 2nd Preview of the One-Stop-Shop
10h00 – 10h30 Railway System Report Presentation
12h30 – 13h30 Shift2Rail Programme Launch
10h00 – 12h00 VDB Dialogforum (Palais am Funkturm)
13h45 – 14h45 Platform of Railway Agencies (City Cube)
15h30 – 16h00 First Preview of the One-Stop-Shop
11h00 – 11h30 Launch of Safety Alert IT System
17h00 – 17h30 How to Square the Circle: Fast Innovation in Railways
11h30 – 12h00 Launch of Railway System Report
17h30 – 18h00 An Espresso with Josef Doppelbauer
11h30 – 13h30 Platform of Railway Agencies (City Cube) Railway Safety Session (By invitation only)
Future Train Control and Command Systems Session (By invitation only) 14h45 – 15h45 ERTMS Stakeholder Platform Preparation Session (City Cube) (By invitation only) 14h30 – 15h00 3rd Preview of the One-Stop-Shop
15h00 – 16h00 Where is my train? 2.0 (Speakers Corner, hall 14.2)
Making the railway system work better for society. European Union Agency for Railways 120 rue Marc Lefrancq BP 20392 FR-59307 Valenciennes Cedex Tel. +33(0)327 09 65 00 era.europa.eu Twitter @ERA_railways
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