The rail industry has vehemently opposed the Commission’s Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD), which would allow gigaliners or mega trucks to dominate the European transport sector price-wise and capacity-wise. Apart from the industry, however, such policies also concern the public, considering they could heavily impact life quality in many ways. Is the European public aware…
Category: EU Commission
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…
It’s time the EU commits to financial support for rail to meet policy goals
Consistency in pursuing goals, political commitment and explicit financial guarantees. Those are the three pillars that will ensure rail investments take place in a targeted and efficient manner in pursuit of reaching climate and decarbonisation goals and making rail freight more competitive. According to ETF, CER, and UITP, it is high time the EU proved…
Deutsche Bahn does not rule out DB Cargo sale
Deutsche Bahn (DB) does not rule out the sale of its freight subsidiary DB Cargo. Looming EU sanctions over excessive state support are forcing DB to find an escape route. A partial sale of financially underperforming DB Cargo might be on the table. According to Handelsblatt, DB does not rule out a sale of its…
EU Parliament’s plenary says yes to ‘monstertrucks’ after all
With a marginal majority (300 votes against 295), the European Parliament has approved the legislative proposals of the Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD) part of the Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP). In practice, this means that the Parliament approved, among other things, the circulation of gigaliner trucks and the use of heavier trucks diesel-powered trucks […]
‘EU’s combined transport definition should be more practical,’ says UIRR
In view of the Combined Transport Directive (CTD) amendment, the EU Commission proposed an alternative definition of combined transport services. In the legislators’ view, combined transport operations should include intermodal freight operations that carry out at least 40 per cent of transport without using trucks. For UIRR and the intermodal sector, the definition could be […]
DB Cargo restructuring: massive job cuts or not?
DB Cargo is attempting to improve its loss-making performance, and plans entail restructuring the company’s business. In doing so, Europe’s largest freight operator aims to outsource a large part of operations to other companies, some of them DB subsidiaries. This process will open the way for DB to focus closely on the remaining operations by […]
MEPs approve Weights and Dimensions Directive to rail’s dismay
The Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD), part of the Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP), has been approved by the EU Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee on Wednesday, 14 February. The Committee voted in favour of the legislative proposal by 26 votes to 11 and one abstention. Unfortunately, the green light came without considering remarks made […]
DB Cargo main beneficiary of Fret SNCF ‘discontinuity’
Labour unions at Fret SNCF have highlighted that the ‘discontinuity’ of the French state railways’ biggest rail freight subsidiary has played directly into the hands of its biggest rival – DB Cargo France. Under the terms of an agreement between France and the European Commission, in response to suspected illegal state aid to Fret SNCF, […]