In a bid to combat the crippling impact of skyrocketing track access charges, European rail operators are calling for urgent short-term support measures. The clarion call comes amidst a flurry of criticism following Germany’s recent hefty price hike program, among others. Apart from Germany, which will increase TACs by 16 per cent, Sweden and Portugal…
Category: Policy
Short-term TAC hikes put transport contracts under strain
In a bid to combat the crippling impact of skyrocketing track access charges, European rail operators are calling for urgent short-term support measures. The clarion call comes amidst a flurry of criticism following Germany’s recent hefty price hike program, among others. Apart from Germany, which will increase TACs by 16 per cent, Sweden and Portugal…
ERFA: “EU’s Greening Freight Package lacks a coherent strategy”
The EU’s Greening Freight Package is the bloc’s flagship policy package for decarbonisation in the transport sector. It looks to decrease emissions in European transport by 90 per cent in 2050. However, the package is not all sunshine and rainbows. Many disagreements about its content remain and the future of the package depends on the…
Planning reforms to deliver more housing in NSW
The New South Wales Government has finalised the State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP), marking the completion of the first stage […]
New TEN-T: TENtec guidelines are out, timetable is still missing
One of the aims of the new TEN-T Regulation is to harmonise communication between EU Member States and European institutions. To do this, the TENtec system is being developed. When fully functional, the system is expected to speed up the exchange of information and accelerate the compiling of reports and maps of the corridors. However,…
Interim commissioners appointed for Infrastructure Australia
Following amendments to the Infrastructure Australia Act 2008 – which passed in December 2023 and came in effect in early […]
New TEN-T: These are the new guidelines for gauge migration
The new TEN-T Regulation stresses that the difference in gauges in the EU “severely hampers the interoperability of the railway networks across the Union and even impacts the competitiveness of those isolated railway networks”. The document sets out the conditions for the gauge migration in Member States with a different gauge than 1435 mm. Member…
New TEN-T: extra ERTMS deployment deadlines, unclear vision for rolling stock
As the adoption of the new TEN-T regulations by the EU Parliament sinks in, more points relevant to rail freight should be addressed. Those include, among other things, the deployment of ERTMS and the new deadlines set for this purpose. There has been much buzz around these two topics, especially regarding ERTMS deployment. Many companies…
New TEN-T: Core focus on multimodal networks, benefits for intermodal rail
The much-awaited revision of the TEN-T regulations is here. The EU Parliament plenary voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of the revision. The legal document that will soon be adopted provides some highlights, including plans to boost intermodal transport and multimodal transport and terminal networks across the old continent. Of course, the 260-page document…
New TEN-T: Regulation puts military mobility in the spotlight
The European Parliament recently approved the revision of the TEN-T Regulation. The new document presents a few takeaways, but one of the biggest changes is a brighter spotlight on military mobility and security across the Old Continent. For example, additional railways and roads were included in the new TEN-T map “to enhance the synergies between…