European Committee of the Regions calls for reform of EU freight trains

Brussels – Reforming rail freight, to complete the single market and translate the EU’s sustainability agenda into practice. From the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) comes the proposal for a revolution in European railways, which goes through “the creation of a regulatory entity” that would end the fragmentation that today prevents the shift of goods from road to rail as called for in the opinion on measures for greener freight transport.

The aim is to encourage the shift of freight transport to rail, given its “lower environmental and energy impact” compared to road transport. For this to be possible, however, it is necessary to improve infrastructure management and optimize rail services to strengthen the competitiveness of EU regions and cities and contribute to decarbonization efforts. This implies, first and foremost, same track characteristics and requirements, with equal rail gauge.

This is a cornerstone of the proposal by mayors and regional presidents from across Europe, which responds to the broader EU strategy. To improve network interoperability, CoR members call for Europe-wide compliance with the standard railway gauge defined by the International Union of Railways (UIC), which establishes the distance between the two rails of a track. For this reason, the CoR calls for “the creation of a regulatory body capable of ensuring the harmonization of rail systems (including aspects related to digitization) and better distribution of rail capacity.”

The existing European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) is therefore to be joined by a new body, also European, with standard-setting powers for rail freight. This is the only way to get a winning and convincing hand back on a sector that is as strategic as it is crucial. Freight transport is the backbone of the EU single market, responsible for supplying supermarkets, factories and the entire commercial sector.

But there is a more unsustainable part: freight transport is also responsible for more than 30 per cent of CO2 emissions from transport, and if decarbonization measures are not taken, emissions from the sector are expected to increase by 25 per cent by 2030 and 50 per cent by 2050. That is why the Regions of Europe advocate a reform of rail transport for a green revolution in the single market.