The past few weeks have been characterised by cries for help coming from a vast number of European rail freight players, highlighting how the sector is navigating an incredibly fragile situation. However, these cries often go unheard and the crisis is getting to a breaking point, with EU institutions doing very little about it and countries focussing on national interests.
Let’s take the Greening Freight Package as an example, which should make the transport of goods in Europe more sustainable. According to goals set by the European Union, this should translate into a much higher rail freight share. Or at least that’s what many thought. Only in the past two weeks, the industry sounded the umpteenth alarm concerning the Weights and Dimensions (WDD) and the Combined Transport Directive (CTD), two of the pillars of the Package.
The Weights and Dimensions Directive
The current version of the WDD has been deemed incompatible with the modal shift goals by a group of 16 major national and European sector associations. The introduction of European Modular Systems (a complicated name for bigger trucks) envisioned by the Directive will put in danger the development of rail freight.
On paper, the extra space available in the larger trucks should be used to store the batteries powering them, in the hope of increasing the number of electric vehicles for freight transport. In reality, this point is not going to be a mandatory requirement, allowing companies to use the additional room to just load more cargo, further increasing the competitiveness of road freight.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg. The introduction of EMS is likely to be very disruptive for interoperability and safety. Bigger trucks might not fit on railways. The investments made by rail companies in assets such as rolling stock and terminals might have been in vain. Road safety and wear and tear would significantly deteriorate.
The Combined Transport Directive
The current CTD was written in 1992. This fact alone should be enough to prove the need for an updated version, which is what the Greening Freight Package entails, in theory. Because once again, reality differs significantly. The European Commission has recently communicated its intention to withdraw the proposed amendments, possibly keeping the clock stuck at 33 years ago.
Germany
Another massive obstacle to make rail freight really European is the fragmented landscape in the Old Continent. Without a strong presence of EU institutions, Member States are often left to fend for themselves, each with their own priorities. For instance, Germany is undergoing a great number of rail infrastructure upgrades which will disrupt traffic for the next decade.
Seven companies and associations have now presented their demands to the German government, highlighting how the performance of rail freight transport is “miserable”. Unviable alternative routes, skyrocketing costs and a reverse modal shift to the road might have a permanent impact on rail freight. “The shift back to road transport would render absurd the investments made by the federal government over decades in modern terminal infrastructure”, they stressed.
Thus, the seven signatories are asking Germany to halt increases in track access charges, suspending cancellation fees until the quality of network is valid and financial support when lines close. Moreover, they want improvements in the allocation of train paths, with 90% capacity guarantees in case of renovations, upgrades of alternative routes and an allowance in case of inadequate paths.
Switzerland
Despite not being part of the European Union, Switzerland plays a vital role in the supply chain of the continent due to its strategic location along the Rhine-Alpine corridor. The current problem here is that the Swiss government will introduce new requirements for wheels that might cause many wagons to be sidelined. Though the country has now softened the initiative, worries among (especially German and Italian) companies remain.
What’s the point?
All these issues raise one important question: what’s the point of preaching about modal shifts, sustainability and harmonisation if facts continue to disprove these words? The industry will continue to struggle and, if nothing concrete is done, a point of no return will be eventually reached. What is desperately needed is a real commitment made by all parties involved, particularly European countries and institutions.